ma-cortes Reviews

The Borgias (2011–2013)

The troublesome story of a Valencian family, very influential during the Italian Renaissance.

[7/10 · 3 May 2024]

This is a prestigious dramatic-historical series created by Neil Jordan and broadcast on television from 2011 to 2013. The series tells the story of the Borgia family, a powerful family of Spanish nobility, whose origins were in the Aragonese town of Borja, and established in Játiva, kingdom of Valencia, and later in Gandía. The family was very influential during the Renaissance. The series created by Neal Jordan distributes a good portrait of the historical period, the papacy, conclaves, ecclesiastical hierarchy, but mainly focusing on the ambition, lust, corruption and desires of the wealthy Borgia family. The series was well based on the Borgia family (originally Borja), the Spanish dynasty settled in Italy, made up of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza de Cattanei, along with her children César, Lucrecia, Juan and Gioffre Borgia.

The series begins with the rise to the papacy of the vice-chancellor and cardinal, Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons), who achieves victory in the Conclave of 1492, through bribes, thus incurring Simony, to the displeasure of several of the members of the College of Cardinals, among them is Cardinal Giuliano Della Rovere (Colm Feore), who is the first to denounce Borgia for buying the election, the result is barely known. Developing an interesting and twisted portrait of the bloody dynasty that spawned a pope, Alexander VI, as well as the role model for Machiavelli's "The Prince," his son Cesare Borgia (François Arnaud) , and a legend of femme duplicity, daughter Lucrezia Borgia (Holliday Grainger). When Rodrigo takes power he can no longer openly have relations with women and his mistress and mother of his children Vanozza dei Cattanei (Joanne Whalley) objects to his dedication to the church over his attentions toward her. When Rodrigo feels further pressures form the affairs of office he turns to young Guilia Farnese (Lotte Verbeek) for comfort, who in turn becomes his lover, causing further fracturing of the happy Borgia household. Alexander VI makes his son, Juan de Borja y Cattanei (David Oakes), captain general and flag bearer of the Papal Armies. Meanwhile, at the same time, Caesar begins to be involved in sordid and undercover romances, as well as several questionable maneuvers, including murders, which he executes with the help of his condottieri, Michelleto, ordering him to try to assassinate Della Rovere, who is traveling through all over Italy, trying to find allies to overthrow Pope Borgia. The series takes a turn, when Della Rovere gets the support of the French king, Charles VIII, whom he convinces to invade Italy, in order to depose the Pope, in exchange for the fact that once the Borgias are annihilated, he, as the new Pope, recognizes him and then taking place the conquest of the Kingdom of Naples.

From then on the network of intrigues is unleashed with the Borgias becoming its nucleus, Alexander VI forging a marriage alliance between his daughter Lucrezia Borgia and Giovanni Sforza, in order to obtain the favor of such family, in addition to also ascending to another member of it, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, to the rank of vice-chancellor of Rome. Simultaneously, the new pope begins a passionate romance with a noblewoman, Giulia Farnese, at the same time that he seeks to consolidate his power with the expansion of the College of Cardinals, appointing 13 new cardinals, completely loyal to him, including his own son, César Borgia, with the aim of dismantling the plot that Della Rovere presides against him. Finally, he plants the evidence for Della Rovere to be accused of public lust, which causes his flight from Rome.

This is an exciting TV drama from ¨Showtime¨ network with full of historical events, emotions , political ambitions and sexual relations. Interpretations are uniformly good: Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia, scheming his way into becoming pope and to be the head of the Roman Catholic Church as Pope Alexander VI; Francois Arnaud as Cesare Borgia who bribes the voting bishops to elect his father as Pope; Colm Feore as Cardinal Della Rovere who's openly opposed to his election; Holliday Grainger as Rodrigo's daughter Lucrezia Borgia; Sean Harris as hired assassin Micheletto who is ultimately turned by Rodrigo's son Cesare and hired as a spy; and David Oakes who played Cesare's younger brother Juan, among others. The series created by showrunner Neal Jordan in 3 seasons and 29 episodes was well directed by Kari Skogland, John Maybury, Jon Amiel, David Leland, Jeremy Podeswa, Simon Cellan Jones and Neil Jordan himself.

Messalina (1960)

A passable 'Sword and Sandals' movie with love, fights, spectacular settings and some historical background.

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

A colorful story, set in Rome in the year 44 AD, about the love and political intrigues of the evil Empress Messalina, the wife of the Roman emperor Claudius (Marcello Giorda), and her eventual downfall. It begins when Claudius is elected emperor by the Praetorians after having murdered Caligula, and he makes Valeria Messalina, priestess of the temple of Vesta, his wife. With Messalina becoming empress, she will face a group of nobles from Silius, who do not admit her insatiable and irresistible manipulations and the dissolute life she leads. Messalina conspires in her husband's politics, but is seriously harmed by the actions of a centurion named Lucio Massimo (Spyros Focás), who was her ex-lover. The nobles of Silio (Arturo Dominici) commission one of the soldiers named Marcello to kill Messalina, but the appearance of Lucio Massimo will complicate things.

An ordinary peplum, in the fashion at the time that does not provide anything special, following the usual Roman incidents with betrayals, the usual dances, corruption, murders, persecutions of Christians, fights and final confrontations. Although it takes great liberty with actual historical events, the film presents the most famous woman in Roman history as a complex person, with deep and dark passions, who comes to an ignominious end through her excesses and badness. The film does not have a historical perspective, it simply deals with the betrayals and evil of Messalina without delving too deeply into the reality of the events. It stars the British and very beautiful Belinda Lee, an actress who starred in several historical epics such as The Venus of Cheronea, Herod the Great, The Shadow of the Guillotine, Lucrezia Borgia and Constantine the Great, sadly died very young due to a car accident . Along with her are some regular performers of the prolific Italian genres of the sixties and seventies: Peplum, Spaghetti Western, Giallo... such as: Giuliano Gemma, Spiros Focás, Arturo Dominici and Evelyn Stewart or Ida Galli.

Being uneven but professionally directed by Vittorio Cottafavi (1914-1998); He was a complete artist, painter and expert in Peplum, as he directed: ¨Conquest of Atlantis¨, ¨Legions of Cleopatra¨, ¨Mesallina¨ and ¨Gladiator Rebellion¨. He began his professional career in the film industry as a clapper. After progressing to writing film scripts and working as an assistant director with Alessandro Blasetti and Vittorio De Sica, he became a director in his own right in 1943. Many of his films have been lavishly produced, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, "sword" films. . -and sandal" or "Muscleman" epics, which deal with mythological themes involving the Roman Empire or Ancient Egypt. Since the mid-60s, Cottafavi has concentrated exclusively on directing television series and miniseries, under contract for RAI , many of them related to historical events or well-known figures such as Oliver Cromwell, Don Giovanni, Napoleone a Sant'Elena, Vita Di Dante and Christopher Columbus. Rating: 5.5, average but passable and acceptable.

The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019)

A peculiar adaptation about an orphan grows to manhood with a wide variety of help and harm.

[5/10 · 3 May 2024]

Concerns the hard-knock life, from birth to madurity, of the title character. David Copperfield is born to his mother Clara, who was widowed before her son's birth. He has an idyllic life. David visits the family of his nanny Peggotty (Daisy May Cooper) in their boathouse in Yarmouth as a child. When he goes back, he finds out Clara has married the sinister and cruel Mr. Murdstone. David (Dev Patel) is bullied by his new stepfather and step-aunt, Jane Murdstone (Gwendoline Christie). When Murdstone (Darren Boyd) harasses Clara (Morfydd Clark), David tries to defend her, but is beaten by Murdstone, who sends him to work in Murdstone's factory in London. From his unlucky infancy to the discovery of his gift as a storyteller and writer, David's life is by turns happy and tragic, but always full of love, sadness, mirth and humanity. From rags to riches... and back again. Glorious Romance Reaches Your Heart! One boy against the world !. The heart-beats of the greatest of all love-stories are immortalized now, with the screen's finest cast, in the proudest offering !. The love story that captured the heart of the world is now, the finest triumph of the screen!

Paced in the form of satire by director and co-writer Armando (nominated for the Academy Award for his screenplay ¨In The Loop¨), this is a special and out of the ordinary adaptation of the famous novel written by Charles Dickens in 1849 (the author's favorite as it contains autobiographical elements). It stars Dev Patel (Hotel Bombay, Lion, Slumdog Millionaire), who was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. He is accompanied by well-known names from the small and big screen, such as: Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, Gwendoline Christie, Ben Whishaw, Paul Whitehouse, Benedict Wong, and Morfydd Clark who plays two roles in the film - Clara Copperfield (David's mother) and Dora Spenlow - the starring's love.

Original twist to the story of Copperfield, however I prefer the classic, traditional and simple retelling of the classic saga, which has been told many times and better than this somewhat strange and peculiar version that may not please those who appeal accurate adaptations of classics. Other renditions are as follows: ¨David Copperfield¨ (1935) by George Cukor with Freddie Bartholomew, Edna May Oliver, Elizabeth Allan, Jessie Ralph, Harry Beresford, this is the superior and lovingly filmed adaptation of Dickens' great novel. ¨David Copperfield¨ (2000) by Delbert Mann with Richard Attenborough, Laurence Olivier, Cyril Cusack, Edith Evans, Pamela Franklin, Susan Hampshire; the exceptional and largely stage-trained cast do much to redeem this TV production. ¨David Copperfield¨ (2000) by Peter Medak with Hugh Dancy, Julia Cox, Nigel Davenport, Michael Richards, Eileen Atkins, Anthony Andrews, Frank McCusker. ¨David Copperfield¨ (2000) by Adrian Hodge with Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, Pauline Quirke, Laura Harling, Zoë Wanamaker.

Home Alone 3 (1997)

Amusing but run-of-the-mill sequel with the same ingredients as the previous ones.

[5/10 · 2 May 2024]

¨Home Alone 3¨ (1997) by Raja Gosnell (editor of the two previous films) boasts a nice cast with Alex D. Linz taking over for the teenaged Culkin, Kevin Kilner, Olek Krupa, Lenny Van Dohlen, Haviland Morris, Scarlett Johansson. Here some international criminals trying to recover a microchip stashed in a toy car that has the mistakenly left home alone Alex Linz, while attempting to foil their plans, this sequel fails to carry the charm of its predecessors. A gang of international criminals has hidden a top-secret prodigious chip inside a toy car. They are: Beaupre (Olek Krupa), Alice Ribbons (Rya Kihlstedt), Burton Jernigan (Lenny von Dohlen) and Earl Unger (David Thornton). A confusion in the baggage causes elderly Mrs. Hess to collect the toy and give it to her neighbor Alex (Alex D. Linz) , who is home alone because of chickenpox. Alex must stay out of school along with Karen Pruitt (Haviland Morris), the mother of Alex, Jack Pruitt (Kevin Kilner), the father of Alex and Molly Pruitt (Scarlett Johansson), the older sister of Alex, and Stan Pruitt (Seth Smith), the older brother of Alex. Meantime, the criminals who want to recover the valuable chip at all costs undertake their search without suspecting that Alex is prepared to give them a warm welcome. There's a new kid on the block !. This Christmas, staying at home will be an adventure !. It's bad news for bad guys... Again !. Ready for more, much more !.

A routine and nothing new follow-up with fun incidents, genuine laughs, violence in cartoon style, entertainment and amusement. Little Alex's sharp ingenuity includes a complete arsenal of weapons, traps and ambushes complicating the evil plans of the nasty thieves. An average continuation in which spies want to get the toy back before their clients get angry and decide to burglarize every house at Alex's street to find a chip. Home Alone 3 (1997) is made without any originality, it is practically a copy of the original: Chris Colombus' Home Alone¨ (2000) . Practically repeating the same schemes, set pieces and similar gags. Although it is fun, the situations are already very familiar and frankly repetitive, we already know the beginning and the end. However, it is still entertaining and funny despite knowing what is going to happen and the already overexploited plot.

The motion picture in low budget was professionally directed by Raja Gosnell, but nothing original because it is a simple copy of the previous stories. Raja Gosnell is a prestigious editor and has made a few films, preferably comedies, such as: ¨Scooby-Doo¨, ¨Scooby-Doo, 2: Monsters Unleashed¨, ¨The Smurfs¨, ¨The Smurfs 2¨, ¨Big Momma's House¨, ¨Never Been Kissed¨, ¨Yours, Show Dogs¨, ¨ Chiahuagua in Beberly Hills¨, ¨Mine & Ours¨, ¨Gun and Hotel Bible¨. The saga ¨Home alone¨ is formed by: ¨Home alone¨(1990) by Chris Colombus with Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, John Heard, Robert Blosson, Billie Bird, Kieran Culkin, Devin Ratray, Kristin Minter. ¨Home alone: Lost in New York¨ (1992) by Chris Colombis with Macaulay Culkin, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Rob Schneider, Dana Ivey, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard. ¨Home Alone 3¨ (1997) by Raja Gosnell with Alex D. Linz taking over for the teenaged Macaulay Culkin, Kevin Kilner, Olek Krupa, Lenny Van Dohlen, Haviland Morris, Scarlett Johansson. Rating: 5/10. Passable second sequel but neither notable, nor original.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

A blockbuster sequel from Chris Colombus and sensitive score by John Williams.

[6/10 · 2 May 2024]

¨Home alone: Lost in New York¨ (1992) by Chris Colombus boasts a good cast with Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Rob Schneider, Dana Ivey, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard. On this occasion, little Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) goes in the middle of Christmas, with his family to the airport in order to enjoy a short Christmas vacation with the family, but he boards the wrong plane that takes him to New York, where he is again alone and unprotected. As if this were not enough, the boy meets Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marvin (Daniel Stern), the thieves from the last installment who escaped from prison, and they want to take revenge. Bring Home The Laughter This Holiday Season!. Holy cow!. Start spreading the news. Guess who's alone in New York this Christmas!. Another Christmas in the trenches. He's up past his bedtime in the city that never sleeps. Yikes! I did it again! First, he was home alone, now he's lost in New York When Kevin's family left for vacation, they forgot one minor detail: Kevin.

Given the success achieved with the first installment, one of the most commercial films of all time, filmmakers John Hughes (as producer and screenwriter) and Chris Colombus, return in this second installment and first sequel, joining their efforts for this Christmas sequel to the film that made little Macaulay Culkin famous.

This megahit produces funny gags, genuine laughs, violent jokes, amusement, entertainment and incorporating fresh material. It was a almost exact duplication of the original including cartoon violence. Boarding the wrong plane , troublemaker Kevin lands in NYC, where he meets crooks Pesci y Stern as prison escapees; not so much a sequel, more of an action replay but even more violent than the original. Macaulay Culkin is as adorable as ever with supporting cast all delivering fine interpretations. Although with an unlikely premise triggering the story, Kevin turns into a pint-sized Rambo defending himself with the resources and wile of a boy genius with a perfect timing and unlimited intelligence.

Kevin's new Christmas adventures are supported by a much larger budget. Joining Culkin in the cast are Joe Pesci (Godfellas), Daniel Stern (A Place Called Miracle), Catherine O'Hara (Orange Country), John Heard (Awakenings). And Brenda Ficket (My Left Foot) and Tim Curry (The Rocky Horror Picture Show) join this fun saga too.

The saga is formed by: ¨Home alone¨(1990) by Chris Colombus with Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, John Heard, Robert Blosson, Billie Bird, Kieran Culkin, Devin Ratray, Kristin Minter. ¨Home alone: Lost in New York¨ (1992) Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Rob Schneider, Dana Ivey, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard. ¨Home Alone 3¨ (1997) by Raja Gosnell (editor of the two previous films) with Alex D Linz taking over for the teenaged Culkin, Kevin Kilner, Olek Krupa, Lenny Van Dohlen, Haviland Morris, Scarlett Johansson; here some international criminals trying to recover a microchip stashed in a toy car that has the mistakenly left home alone Alex Linz, while attempting to foil their plans, this sequel fails to carry the charm of its predecessors.

No Escape (I) (2015)

A film full of action and tension that keeps you hooked on the edge of your seat.

[7/10 · 1 May 2024]

This is a good action thriller with lots of action, impressive scenes and strong violence. Thriller with noisy action, shootouts, excessively shaky camera in some places and the special effects are quite brilliant. In an unnamed country Southeast Asian country, (either Laos or Thailand or Burma),after the assassination of its highest leaders, a coup d'état began. At that same moment, the American engineer (Owen Wilson) who is going to join his new job travels to the country with his family, wife (Lake Bell) and two daughters. The American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape from an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed. They are relentlessly chased but make a desperate decision to escape the violence on the streets and seek refuge at the American Embassy, all while trying to avoid detection by the merciless rebels. A nation in revolt. Innocent civilians caught in the middle. How far would you go to survive?. All that matters is making it out alive. Outrun the enemy. Run like hell. Blood for water. Survive Together or Die Together. No Rescue. No Refuge. A new job brought them abroad. An uprising will push them to their limits.

This exciting film contains loudy action, full of suspense, tension, crossfire, chases and adrenaline. A gripping and exciting story that keeps you tense throughout the entire film. Director John Erick Dowdel abandons the horror of his previous works to delve into the action thriller, a film that he directs and writes with his brother Drew Dowdel. It focuses on a dangerous struggle for survival in which our protagonists are relentlessly pursued throughout the city, suffering all kinds of threats, violence and risks in a country whose people have declared war on all foreigners and especially those who work for multinationals that they consider are plundering the country.

It contains colorful cinematography by cameraman Léo Hinstin filmed in several locations: Chiang Mai, Thailand, Lampang, Thailand, The Imperial Mae Ping Hotel, Chang Mai and Cambodia. As well as a moving and intriguing musical score by composer Marco Beltrani and Buck Sanders . The film was competently directed by ohn Erick Dowdle. Erick has a long career as a prestigious writer and filmmaker of terror films. John Erick is a good director and writer, known for: As Above, So Below, Quarantine, Quarantine 2: Terminal, Waco , Evil, The Poughkeepsie Tapes , DrySpell, among others. Rating No Escape(2015): 7/10. Better than average.

Perversión (1974)

An intriguing thriller stars Nadiuska, Carlos Estrada with suspense, and plot twists.

[5/10 · 1 May 2024]

Marisa Salinas (Nadiuska) gets her first job at one of the top publishing companies of her country. Don Ricardo Arencibia (Carlos Estrada), her chief, is a man who does not appreciate innovation and new proposals from the staff, but enjoys bloody crime stories, and does like detective novels and gorgeous women too. She will soon live a torrid romance with him. As the upright and mature boss Don Ricardo invites Marisa out for dinner; they start being friends and, soon after, they begin a sexual and passional relationship . All goes well - safe for a little mystery that envelops Ricardo's ex-wife. Marisa decides to investigate... and she will uncover much more than she expected: Ricardo had been trying to make Marisa look like his former wife (Teresa Gimpera), and there is a plot involving large scale corruption and deceit.

Apart from what its strong title suggests we approach Perversion with the presence of three relevant people: we see the star Nadiuska, who was one of the main muses of the ¨Transición¨y the ¨Destape (nudism)¨, the direction is the responsibility of the Valencian Paco Lara Polop, and the script is the work of Juan José Alonso Millán, an expert in zany comedies as cinema as stage. The censorship completely lightened its footage of shots in which the German-born actress showed her exuberant anatomy as an essential requirement to authorize its release.

The film turns out to be a love drama that goes wrong, including intrigue, deceptions, twists and turns. However, it is not until its last third that the film clearly takes the path of suspense and vengeance thriller, until that moment running its narrative course in the typical story of a beautiful young girl who arrives at a new company where she'll fall in love with his chief. The misleading advertising poster suggest nudism, violence, or quirky sexual acts but there are hardly these usual condiments of 70s cinema.

Starring bomb-shell Nadiuska, who at the time was a real sex-symbol, in late 70s and early 80s she was a queen of the soft core movies in Italy and Spain. Many years later she rectified and apostatized of these movies and tried be a normal actress in the commercial cinema. Famous as mother of 'John Milius's Conan', she also played popular films as 'Último deseo' (The People Who Own the Dark,1979), La muerte ronda a Mónica, Chely, Zorrita Martinez, Polvo eres, El chulo, La mosca hispánica. She retired from cinema in 1997, her last movie, 'Brácula. Condemor II', was a tribute dedicated to her by the director. After being homeless for some time and being diagnosed with schizophrenia, nowadays she lives on a mental institution on Ciempozuelos, Madrid (Spain). We miss the appearance of secondary actors who used to enhance the films of the time in such a way that only appear Teresa Gimpera, Ricardo Tundidor and brief intervention by Erasmo Pascual.

With a production design that may vaguely recall that of the then-fashionable Italian Gialli, but this is a thriller more than a Giallo with a mystery surrounds what our starring has to do with Ricardo's ex-wife. The cinematography from Raúl Artigot Francisco Sánchez is lousy, that's why the film copy is worn-out , being extremely necessary a perfect remastering. Adding an atmospheric soundtrack by Ángel Arteaga in that style of 70s music. The motion picture was passably and professionally directed by Francisco Lara. The sober realization of Lara Polop achieving the difficult mission of awakening the viewer's interest in a story seen so many times like that, through ideas as successful as interspersing in the editing shots at first without any relation to what is narrated, thus accentuating the feeling that something strange is hidden behind the apparent normality of the storyline, shots that we will later discover have been revealing the different phases of the game to which the story is subjected. 'Perversion' is a pleasant and reclaimable title that shows us the acceptable work of Lara Polop before it was progressively lost in by-products lacking the slightest interest in a fierce search for commerciality. It seems quite clear that he had enough talent to have taken on more ambitious projects than the ones he finally ended up doing. Polop was an expert on comedy, though he directed other genres . Talented and versatile writer/director made all kinds of genres as Comedy : Le llamaban J. R. , Adulterio nacional , La masajista vocacional, La mujer del juez , Virilidad a la Española ; Action : La patria del rata; Erotic or Softcore : La masajista vocacional , Historia de S , Climax , Secretos de alcoba , Cristina y la reconversion sexual and directed a terror film as ¨The monk¨, his last movie . His best film was a Giallo : ¨La mansion bajo la niebla¨ or ¨Scream¨, it is his first and the best one, directed along with the prolific filmmaker Pedro Lazaga . Rating : 5.5/10 .

La Singla (2023)

A notable documentary about a young girl who at the peak of her fame suddenly disappeared.

[7/10 · 1 May 2024]

A good documentary about Antonia 'La Singla', a 17-year-old flamenco dancer, today she is unknown and missing but in her time she was world famous. Antonia La Singla was born deaf and at the location of poor slums of Somorrostro, Barcelona. Despite this, she became the best dancer in the world when she was just a child. ? How is it possible that no one remembers her name? . ? What happened to La Singla? , these questions are what the actress Helena Kaittani addresses and will resolve in this interesting documentary that will keep us in a certain suspense and intrigue from the beginning to the end.

There is a slight intrigue because throughout we want to know about the true fate of La Singla, whether he is still alive or has died, the research work is exciting thanks to the numerous interviews and clues that are formed throughout. And the documentary follows the style of the Oscar-winning 'Searching for Sugarman', told as an investigative thriller, which is why it is interesting enough, but what is excelelnt are the images, the grip of La Singla's gaze, the nerve and rush of his dance.

La Singla made an impact on the international music scene in 1965, meanwhile, in Spain she was practically unknown. This documentary, winner of the Feroz Arrebato non-Fiction award in 2024, investigates that she was one of the most promising artists in our country and who was considered "the best flamenco dancer in the world" in Germany where she was really idolized . She had an internationally successful career: at the age of 13 she made her debut in Los Tarantos (1963) , the famous film directed by Francisco Rovira Beleta played by Carmen Amaya, Sara Lezana, Antonio Gades that was a transposition of Shakespeare's classic "Romeo and Juliet" in a sort of time and space, in fact was set in Somorrostro where La Singla lived, danced and was discovered her artistic abilities. This film was nominated for an Oscar and gave La Singla international fame with worldwide knowledge of her art. Describes the unlucky love between a couple of young gypsies, pertaining to two different families, deep-rooted opposing and established in the now missing district of Somorrostro, in Barcelona.

Among her followers were Salvador Dalí, Marcel Duchamp or Joan Miró and scenario artists as Imperio Argentina, Gilbert Bécaud, Yul Brynner and her fame crossed our borders: among others she performed at the Olympia in Paris, or at the Berlin Philharmonic, accompanied by Paco de Lucia and Camarón de la Isla. But at the peak of her career, La Singla disappeared from the stage without a trace. In this documentary, a journalist well played by Helena Kaittani undertakes an investigation to finally resolve what happened to her and why she disappeared from the scenes.

The documentary was well directed by Paloma Zapata and has won many awards and nominations at festivals such as: Krakow Film Festival 2023 Ganador Special Mention International DocFilmMusic Competition Paloma Zapata, 2023 Nominated Golden Heynal, Moscow International Film Festival 2023 Ganador Russian Film Clubs Federation Award. DocsBarcelona, 2023 winner Audience Award, Best Film Paloma Zapata, winner Jury Special Mention. ASECAN 2023 Nominated ASECAN Award. Feroz Awards, 2024 winner Feroz Arrebato Award Nonfiction Paloma Zapata. Festival de Málaga 2023 Nominated Biznaga de plata. Premios Carmen 2024 Nominado Carmen Award Best Female Lead Performance Helena Kaittani 2024 Nominado Carmen Award, Best Documentary. Canadian International Documentary Festival 2023 Nominated Audience Award Best Documentary. Raindance Film Festival 2023 Nominated Best Documentary Film Best Documentary Paloma Zapata.

Radio Days (1987)

An endearing and entertaining comedy in which Allen proposes a heartfelt tribute to the radio world of the 1940s

[7/10 · 30 April 2024]

Here the real star is Radio itself, that pre-TV purveyor of everyday unreality against which wartime America measured its dreams. In Brooklyn, a Jewish boy who is fond of radio lives fun adventures and anecdotes with his mother (Julie Kavner), father (Michael Tucker), his spinster aunt (Dianne Wiest) and the people of the neighborhood. A man reminisces about his youth, growing up in the 1930s and '40s in New York with a voiceover by Woody Allen himself. As we see and hear stories of himself, his parents, neighbours and friends and local celebrities. The boy has the masked avenger (Wallace Shawn), a famous radio personality, as part of his daily life and his hero. And the world that surrounds the mystery of the radio allows him to escape from the harsh reality of his poor family. In the background, Manhattan's bustling nightlife, where beauty and wealth contrast with the life of dreamers. There is also a not very bright cigarette saleswoman (Mia Farrow) who at last manages to make her debut as a radio star and many other things.

Entertaining and engaging film with social habits, hilarious moments, fraternity and good feeling. This is a nostalgic look at radio's golden age focusing on one ordinary family and the various performers in the medium. The common denominator in all the stories and in the overarching plot is the presence of the radio--it brought music, news, stories, escape, and comfort, made stars of everyday people, and was often the glue in families and relationships. The Woody Allen comedy that hits nostalgia jackpot and in which there is no shortage of fabled elements of an autobiographical nature that reveal the traditional thematic style of the brilliant comedian. The common denominator in all the stories and in the overarching plot is the presence of the radio - it brought music, news, stories , escape and comfort, made stars of everyday people and was often the glue in families and relationships . This is everything that an evocation of childhood should be but rarely is. A series of vignettes involving radio is intertwined with the lives of various attractive characters . Being various different stories and it has warmth , many shafts of humour, a setting perfect in look and feel , the theme of radio running richly through an immensely agreeable tale about a childhood in a central American town around the years 1939 to 1944.

The careful staging, supported by the photography of Gordon Willis and a soundtrack supervised by Dick Hyman and Allen himself that collects the musical hits at the time stand out, together with an intelligent direction of actors are the main merits of the film that brings together two of the muses and former companion of the brilliant New York filmmaker, Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow. The film is pretty well; however, Allen unfortunately opts for a 'Federico Fellini's Amarcord' approach of formeless narrative, larger-than-life coincidence and rambling ruminations on what times there used to be. Throughout the story, -being an eminently choral film- notable and familiar secondary characters appear in which the following are worth noting: Michael Tucker, Julie Kavner, Dianne Wiest, Wallace Shawn, Kenneth Mars, Jeff Daniels, Danny Aiello, Mercedes Ruehl, Larry David, Robert Joy, Mike Starr, Paul Herman, Tony Roberts, Seth Green, Josh Mostel, among others. The motion picture was competently made by Woody Allen. In the beginning Woody made usually hilarious films with hardly any personal comments about his own life in which he used to act, such as : ¨What's Up, Tiger Lily?¨, ¨Take the money and run¨, ¨Pussycat, Pussycat I Love You¨, ¨Sleeper¨, ¨Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask¨, among others . Subsequently he made several masterpieces. Including a series of movies in which he provided nice direction, investing care enough, wit and warmth, such as : ¨Crimes and misdemeanors¨, ¨New York stories¨, ¨September¨, ¨Radio Days¨, ¨Hanna and her sisters¨, ¨Broadway Danny Rose¨, ¨Zelig¨, ¨Stardust memories¨, ¨A midsummer Night's Sex Comedy¨, ¨Interiors¨, ¨Purple rose of Cairo¨, ¨Manhattan¨,¨Melinda Melinda¨and many others . And ¨Annie Hall¨, Allen's most awarded film, the Oscars voters were impressed and awarded various statuettes, winner among many other awards, of the Oscar for Best film, Direction, Script and Lead Actress. Radio Days, rating 6.5/10 . Better than average. The movie will appeal to Woody Allen followers.

Day of Wrath (1943)

Classic movie stars a young wife, an aging priest and his son amidst the horror of a merciless witch hunt in 17th-century Denmark.

[8/10 · 30 April 2024]

One of the best films ever made about the repression of witchcraft, and a fundamental film in Dreyer's filmography, with an aesthetic perfection only comparable to its meticulous psychological elaboration. Based on the play "Anne Pedersdotter" by Hans Wiers-Jenssen, set in this case in 17th-century, in which an old woman is accused of witchcraft at a Danish village. At the beginning a pious elderly parson sends an old woman to the stake and she curses him. In the shadow of her flight, capture, confession, and burning at the stake, the young wife (the daughter of a woman suspected of witchcraft) of the town's aging pastor falls in love with the pastor's son. A Strange Love Story - Told With Startling Frankness by Carl Dreyer, world-famous director !.

A drama of fear and superstition that's often seen as an allegory on the Nazi occupation of Denmark and is considered to be arguably Dreyer's most pessimist movie. This is an austere and very sombre account of the relentless persecucion of witches in 17th century Denmark. The film tells how the young wife of a pastor falls in love with his son, Dreyer remains wisely ambivalent, preferring instead to focus on the powerful, earthly emotions of fear and live: the grim, grey confession chambers - location of perhaps the most discreet yet horrific torture scenes in cinema- embody the former, rippling streams and sun-dappled meadows the latter. Almost paradoxically, Dreyer evokes the soul through the physical world.

The simple production design also stands out, along with the costumes and the astonishing cinematograpy in black and white, achieving great artistic success. And of course, terrific performances with special mention for Lisbeth Movin as the brooding wife who inevitably falls in love with the son of the pastor. The motion picture was very well directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, containing many subtler comparisons to the behavior of the Nazis by torturing and questioning; in fact Carl Theodor Dreyer fled Denmark for Sweden where he remained until the war was over. This famous and classic director was born in Copenhague, Denmark. He was a prestigious writer and filmmaker, known for Gertrud (1964), Vampyr (1932), Ordet (1955) and La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928). This outwardly a chronicle of a religious witch-hunt titled ¨Days of Wrath¨, ¨Dies irae¨ or ¨Vredens dag¨(1943) has a rating: 8/10. The result is a masterpiece, its slow, measured pace and stark visuals achieving an almost emotional intensity.

The Bullocks (1953)

A great Fellini movie with a sympathetic and interesting character study of five young men.

[7/10 · 30 April 2024]

A portrayal of some younsters with crucial turning points in their lives in a small town in Italy. Fausto Moretti (Franco Fabrizi) seduces his friend Moraldo Rubini's (Franco Interlenghi) sister Sandra (Leonora Ruffo) and is forced to marry her, but the marriage doesn't change him, as he goes on cheating on her with many girls. While Alberto (Alberto Sordi) the animated goof of the group still lives at home with his mother and attractive sister Olga (Claude Farell) who is clandestinely dating a married man . "We are the hollow men in this last of meeting places we grope together and avoid speech. Gathered on this beach of the torrid river."

Sensitive and agreeable film film packs comedy, drama, emotion, good feeling and social habits. Fellini's semi-autobiographical drama, argued by some to be his finest work. The flick contains a highly symbolic internal logic , enjoyable imagery and attractive plot peppered with risqué humor. A sensitive analysis of the lives of five young people trapped in a small Adriatic town. Their discontent leads them to carry out different activities, not all of them worthy of admiration. Fellini made a scathing and satirical portrait of manners of the joking and carefree youth of Italy in the 1950s. Along the way , the friends chase girls, enjoy, dance and leave the job-hunting and work to others. The roles are multi-dimensional, including a loafer who is supported by his sister and a young stud who impregnates a local woman. The storyline has brilliant insights into youth, adulthood and what's in between. Here Fellini demonstrates a real sensibility to the underprivileged of the world and his belief in a certain redemption. There are good Italian actors and comedians who will eventually develop fruitful film careers, such as: Alberto Sordi, Franco Fabrizi, Franco Interlenghi, Leopoldo Trieste, Leonora Ruffo and Riccardo is performed by Federico Fellini's brother, Riccardo Fellini.

The motion picture was masterfully directed by Federico Fellini and with magnificent interpretations all around. Fellini who inspired the word "Felliniesque" was one of the best Italian filmmakers/writers . He frequently cast Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina and Score by Nino Rota. His best works include dreams like imagery and nostalgia. He made Italian classics , such as : ¨8 and 1/2¨, ¨Roma¨, ¨Satyricon¨, ¨I Vitellone¨ , ¨La Dolce Vita¨ , ¨The clowns¨, ¨Casanova¨, ¨And the ship sails on¨, "City of Women" , "Orchestra Rehearsal" and directed his wife Giulietta in various films such as : ¨The white sheik¨ , ¨Il Bidone¨, ¨Juliet of the Spirits¨, "The Nights of Cabiria" ¨Ginger and Fred¨, ¨La Strada¨(1954) that won the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and N. Y. Critics Award to Foreign Film; in addition, including some auto-biographic elements, especially in ¨Amarcord¨ (1973) , though he denied his film to be autobiographical, but agreed that there are similarities with his own adolescence . ¨I Vitellone¨ rating: 7/10. Essential and indispensable seeing for cinema classics fans and Fellini enthusiasts.

A River Runs Through It (1992)

The visually stunning true story, developing a perceptible drama filmed with great sensitivity .

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

'A River Runs Through in' is a cinematographically stunning true story of Norman Maclean in the untamed west of Montana in the 1920's. The story follows Norman and his brother Paul through the experiences of life and growing up, and how their love of fly fishing keeps them together despite varying life circumstances in the untamed west of Montana in the 1920's. Mornings are spent studying, afternoons devoted to fly-fishing in the nearby river. However, the family's inability to express hints at trouble at come. And so while nice guy Norman (Craig Scheffer) matures and dates good girl Jessie (Emily Lloyd), reckless Paul (Brad Pitt) turns to liquor and gambling. They grow up under the watchful eye of their father, a Presbyterian minister (the ever-marvelous Tom Skerritt) of Scots descent and their beloved mother (Brenda Blethyn). In the meantime, Paul gets a job as a prolific journalist and makes a name for himself back home. The movie is about Norman's return home and his and Paul's summer together. The Story of an American Family !. Nothing perfect lasts forever. Except in our memories.

A pleasant film that should be seen calmly and let yourself be captivated by the photography, the natural sounds and the poetry that emanates from the words. Following the lives of two siblings through the experiences of life and growing up, and how their love of fly fishing keeps them together despite varying life circumstances. This is a brilliant and touching story, although sometimes results to be slow-moving and tiring, but is developed with real intelligence and extreme sensibility. The river is a quasi-mystical past-time which serves as the movie's central metaphor: while they cast their lines and wait, the boys learn the importance of harmony, brotherhood, family affection, grace and patience. In the picture is treated ethic and moral themes narrated with great sense of fairness and ductility. Robert Redford -who reads passages from Norman MacLean's source novella in voice over- explores the brothers' changing relationship with restraint and intelligence; however, because events are filtered through the author's fictional persona, certain sequences involving Paul lack his much-needed perspective. A litte of humour brings things back to earth, ans saves the movie from becoming over-earnest.

It displays an excellent and attractive musical score by Mark Isham, including a catching leitmotif. Besides, exceptional and awesome cinematography by cameraman Philippe Rousselot , being stunningly shown on the marvelous outdoors in the mountains, rivers and forests from Granite Falls, Wyoming, Livingston, Montana, Bozeman, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Livingston, Montana. This sensitive and enjoyable film was well directed by Robert Redford. This great Hollywood actor ha directed a few but notable films, such as: the first and Oscarized ¨Ordinary People¨, ¨The Milagro Beanfield War¨, ¨The Horse Whisperer¨ , ¨Quiz Show¨, ¨The Legend of Bagger Vance¨, ¨Lions for Lambs¨, ¨The Conspirator¨, ¨The Company You Keep¨, ¨Catedrals of culture¨ and this ¨River runs through¨. Rating: 6.5/10. Leave your preconceptions about fishing at the door, you'll be caught hook, line and sinker. Shot with nice sensibility and good feeling, that's why it's a worthwhile film that will appeal to Brad Pitt fans.

María Rosa (1965)

An intense drama with passion, emotion and terrific performance by a big name cast.

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

This unknown and obscure film is inspired by the play of the same title by Angel Guimerá. The movie tells how Marsal (Francisco Rabal), at night and without witnesses, murders a man with the aim of blaming the crime on the husband of the woman (Núria Espert) he is in love with. The innocent man is sentenced to life imprisonment. With Andrés imprisoned, Marsal becomes María Rosa's protector while he waits for events to unfold. But it casts suspicion on his friend Salvador (Luís Davila), an ex-prisoner who was in prison with Andrés.

Only feature film by Armando Moreno, husband of Núria Espert and actor and scene director. Here the main highlights are the great interpretations of the leading actors and the luxurious and evocative photography. In Maria Rosa there is a deep drama with an intrigue behind it, highlighting the final part during the wedding, the wedding celebration and especially the first night in the room where the dramatic finale takes place. Main cast are very good, such as Francisco Rabal as the jealous man who's deeply in love, that'w why he murders a moneylender hated by the entire town , and Núria Espert as the failthful wife and completely in love with her imprisoned husband.

The support cast is frankly excellent, such as: Luís Dávila that plays a role between main and secondary, Asunción Balaguer (who married Francisco Rabal), Carlos Otero, Antonio Iranzo and with a special mention for Antonio Vico as the old drunk who talks more than necessary, highlighting the scenes of him when the newlyweds are sitting celebrating at the table.

And the cinematography excels thanks to great cameraman Cecilio Paniagua. The latter was a magnificent photographer who initially worked as an assistant to the prestigious cameraman Enrique Guerner. His first film was ¨A Heritage of Paris¨ and his last one ¨Los Restos del Naufragio¨, during the thirty-four years that separate them he made a total of 81 movies. Working for the greatest directors at the time as Rafael Gil, Luís Lucia, José Maria Forqué, J. A. Bardem, Luís Garcia Berlanga, in films such as: ¨A White Suit¨, ¨Siega Verde¨, ¨Jeromin¨, ¨La Vida en un Bloc¨, Un Día Perdido¨, ¨Amanecer en la Puerta Oscura¨,¨Sonatas¨, ¨Novio a la vista¨, and especially in the sixties and seventies he was the cameraman of multiple foreign productions that are filmed in Spain, such as: ¨Custer in the West¨, ¨100 Rifles¨, ¨The light at the edge of the world¨, ¨Treasure Island¨, ¨Count Sandorf¨, ¨The Legion's Last Patrol¨, among others.

Despite being his first directorial film, Armando Moreno provides a decent direction. It won National Syndicate of Spectacle: Núria Espert and Francisco Rabal in María Rosa (1965) and 1964 winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle Best Film. Rating: 6.5/10. Better than average.

Gran Turismo (2023)

Un decent film based on a true story about the competitive world of real racing.

[6/10 · 28 April 2024]

Video games and car racing go hand in hand in this exciting film of dreams come true based on a true story of a Gran Turismo player who became a professional driver. Jann (Archie Madekwe) is an avid gamer from Cardiff who spends his days playing Gran Turismo, refusing to succeed in the real world. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Danny (Orlando Bloom), a marketing manager for the Nissan automobile corporation, is running an advertising campaign and, together with the management of Gran Turismo, hatches a plan to launch a competition inviting gamers to try their luck in real pulse-quickening car races. Needing help organizing an event, Danny turns to Jack Salter (David Harbor), a former racing driver to train the youngsters. The veteran driver will become the coach of the young promises with special attention to the training of Jann. The latter is based on a true character, in fact Jann Mardenborough plays a stunt double in the film for the actor who portrays himself. From gamer to racer !.

This is a breathtaking film, inspiring true story of a peculiar team, following the famous video game franchise at the time, 'Gran Turismo', containing bravura, willpower love, redemption, and motor oil all swirled together. The picture mingles thrills, family drama, exciting car races, and spectacular sequences though won't mean much on little screen TV. It's a typical Blockbuster where reality , plot and dialog have their place, focusing on the drivers who challenge their contenders throughout the international and competitive racing circuits. This is an overwhelming picture with exceptionally fine camera work and great car races sequences and crashes on the circuits, tracks, and several other places. The drivers, the cars, the crashes are the real stars of this movie from the beginning to the end. Based on the unbelievable story, but plenty of clichés, about a a team of underdogs - a struggling, working-class gamer, a failed former race car driver, and an idealistic motorsport exec - who risk it all to take on the most elite sport in the world. The main and support cast are quite good, giving uniformly attractive performances: Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings, Pirates of The Caribbean) plays Danny Moore, a Nissan marketing executive who convinces the company to recruit players for the Gran Turismo simulator and transform them into real racing drivers. David Harbor (Stranger Things) is the expert pilot and trainer of the young boys, while Archie Madekwe (Midsommer) is real driver Jann Mardenborough, a Welsh Gran Turismo gamer eager to compete in authentic speed tests, he does impress again in the role of a brave young. Adding other nice secondaries, such as: Djimon Hounsou, pre-Spice Girls: Geri Halliwell , Takehiro Hira, Pepe Barroso, Josha Stradowski, Daniel Puig, among others. All stunts were performed by authentic experts without people damage . A majority of the car stunts in the film were done practically using car shells, and visual effects were widely used. And digital cars were also employed for significant crashes. Many of the film's racing sequences were shot with the Hungaroring, in Hungary, standing in for various different circuits. Most notably the Hungaroring stands in for Silverstone during the GT Academy sequences.

The movie was well made by South African-Canadian film director and screenwriter Neill Blomkamp-. His first and best movie was the successful District 9 , however , being his producer Peter Jackson with his companies Weta Workshorp and Weta Digital that stole the show by means of the breathtaking visual effects, creatures , makeup , Animatrix design make the film results to be a groundbreaking spectacle. Neill Blomkamp is a nice craftsman who is known for the science fiction films District 9 , Elysium and Chappie . He also directed the Demonic and the 2007 short film Halo: Landfall, based on the Microsoft science fiction video game franchise. Rating Gran Turismo(2023): 6/10 . The flick will appeal to car racing enthusiasts.

El favor (2023)

Bemusing, fun, though mediocre film with a number of family entanglements.

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

The Gallardos are a filthy rich and disturbingly selfish family, formed by father (Gonzalo de Castro) and children: Teresa (Inma Cuesta), Benja (Diego Martín) and Aura (Sara Sálamo) who must face the last will of their dearest Tata, Amparo (Luisa Gavasa), the woman who took care of them when they were children and who now wants to be buried in the family pantheon. Nanny had everything in mind, and knowing that they were going to refuse, she leaves them a little poisoned gift that might even do them a favor. From there, a series of quarrels and misunderstandings arise between the family members, proving their deep selfishness, greed and vanity that dominates each of them.

Comedy of entanglements with Imma Cuesta (¨Primos: Cousins¨, ¨Los Buenos Modales¨), Diego Martín (¨Supernormal¨) and Sara Salámo (¨Brigada Costa del Sol¨) star in this acidic comedy of misunderstandings full of physical and twisted humor. Dealing with the Gallardos are a rich and respected family who spend their summers in a farmhouse cared for down to the smallest detail by Amparito, Tata , who, for the family's three children, Teresa, Benja and Aura, has been like a second mother, thing go wrong whe she dies and leaves a peculiar testament. El Favor directed by Juana Macías (¨Bajo el Mismo Techo¨) is about family and its ability to complicate our lives, says the director. A dead woman, revealed secrets, infidelity, classism in abundance, disgusting beings, a world full of appearances and lies and more lies... this is what this "The Favor" is about. All families have secrets and dark facts to hide but this one takes the cake. This is an extremely funny film with entertaining events , giggles , emotion , craziness, twists and love stories, though the result is mediocre. The film moves in fits and starts most of which would be desirable , with more traps the viewer resists any kind , and some moments of enjoyment and others quite a few embarrassing . This disconcerting film packs amusement , comical situations , tongue-in-cheek , surrealist comedy , adding conventional pitfalls and many other things. Despite everything, we appreciate the whole wins our hearts thanks to the surprising entanglements and twists of a plot that is as well put together as it is playful, friendly, effective entertainment, avoiding swearing, dirty talking, bad words, sexual scenes and other terrible condiments of current Spanish comedy.

It displays a lively and evocative musical score by Vanessa Garde. As well as a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Andreu Rebés , being shot in Barcelona and surroundings . The motion picture was mediocre but professionally directed by Juana Macías , but with no much originality. She has directed a few acceptable films as Planes para mañana , Embarazados , Bajo el mismo techo and episodes of TV series as Madres (TV Series) , Minnie & You , La parte de atrás (TV Movie) and some Short movies .

Sisu (2022)

An amazing and offbeat WWII movie with lots of action, gore and blood.

[7/10 · 28 April 2024]

A peculiar WWII movie with thrills, action, violence, black humor and loads of blood and gory scenes. Set in the last, desperate days of WWII, in which a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Germans on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Germans commanded by officer Bruno (Aksel Hennie) steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word "sisu", this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And no matter what the Germans throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back - even if it means killing every last German in his path. Vengeance is golden!.

Lionsgate presents, in association with Stage 6 Films, a Subzero Film Entertainment production, in association with Good Chaos this 'Sisu' that tells the wild journey of a lone gold prospector who carries out a brutal slaughter of Nazis when they come across him in the devastating desert of Lapland and steal his loot. This is an adult, engrossing and entertaining picture containing action , fun , violence, hilarious moments with tongue-in-cheek and amusement enough .This agreeable picture contains powerful and bloody images , entertainment and black humor . Beautiful scenery , colorful cinematography , thrilling musical score, wartime action and a breathtaking climax at an impressive duel lift this story . An enjoyable film by using Finnish landscape and popular beliefs, so to speak, as the source for the surprises . The actors by and large insisted on doing their own stunts. Stars Jorma Tommila and Onni Tommila as Aatami and Schütze who are played by real-life father and son, and Aksel Hennie as nasty nazi officer, the latter known for Headhunter

It is a genuine as well as imaginative tale written and directed with professionality, fairness and imagination , though some scenes are extremely violent. Filmed in 35 days with a very reduced budget, this bloody western set during the last desperate days of WWII, divided into chapters, and it won half of the awards, included in the award for best film, at the 2022 Sitges festival.

The cinematography struck me as really nice. Very fine shot by cameraman Kjell Lagerroos and well chosen shots. It's all very delicious to look at. The movie was well directed by Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander and it was fairly successful at the box office , but for adult audience , not too much for kiddies due to excessive gore, guts and blood. The wild feats take place in Finnish Lapland, Ivalo, Kruununhaka, Nuorgam, and Utsjoki. Writer/filmmaker Jalmari Helander was born on July 21, 1976 in Helsinki, Finland. He is a director and writer, known for Sisu (2022) ,Big game (2014) with Samuel L. Jackson and Onni Tommila and Rare Exorts (2010) that stars very well his little nephew Onni Tommila, along with Jorma Tommila . Rating : 6.5/10 .Well worth watching .

Chernobyl (2019)

An excellent television miniseries including historical drama, great performances and documentary precision.

[8/10 · 27 April 2024]

The miniseries draws heavily on local memories of Pripyat, told by Nobel Prize winner Belarusian Svetlana Aleksievich in her book Voices from Chernobyl. Chernobyl dramatizes the story of the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster that occurred in April 1986 in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Soviet Union), telling the stories of the people who caused the disaster and those who responded to it. This is the story of that event, when the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine exploded and caught fire with subsequent terrible consequences, and how the true reasons for the incident were covered up and how one man fought to reveal them. Thus on April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, near Pripyat, Ukraine, experienced a malfunction that caused the core of reactor 4 to explode. This miniseries follows Valery Legasov (Jared Harris), the first-grade scientist who works to control the disaster, Boris Shcherbina (Stellan Skarsgård), a Soviet politician who represents the interests of the Soviet government during the disaster, and Ulana Khomyuk (Emily Watson), a nuclear physicist who works to discover the truth about what really happened in Chernobyl. This series addresses the problems that arise when the truth is ignored and hidden from the public. The worst nuclear crisis in human history: it changed the course of the Soviet Union and led to the inevitable fall of communism in Europe. This is the story of what happened on the front lines of the chaos, the cover-ups behind closed doors, and the civilians held prisoner by the circumstances of Earth's largest nuclear disaster. What is the cost of lies?

Chernobyl was magnificently created by Craig Mazin and competently directed by Johan Renck. The 5-episode series revolves around the April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the unprecedented cleanup efforts that followed. The series deals with interesting themes such as personal sacrifice, the fight for truth, and the consequences of deception and state corruption. It has a great cast led by Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Emily Watson and other more supporting ones such as Paul Ritter, Robert Emms, Sam Troughton, Nagaitis, Donald Sumpter, Ralph Ineson and David Dencik as the President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev. Chernobyl is a co-production between the HBO channels in the United States and Sky in the United Kingdom, it premiered in the United States on May 6, 2019 and in the United Kingdom the next day and the broadcast of the five-episode miniseries was a big hit. Deservedly achieved overwhelming successes from specialized critics and the public. At the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards it received nineteen nominations and won for Best Miniseries, Best Direction and Best Writing, while Harris, Skarsgård and Watson received nominations for their performances.

The miniseries also depicts some of the lesser-known stories of the disaster, including the efforts of firefighters who first arrived on the scene, volunteers, and teams of miners tasked with digging a critical tunnel beneath reactor 4. It perfectly tells the stories of the people who caused the disaster and those who responded to it. The miniseries deals with the subsequent trial of the three main workers accused of the disaster. This could have been due to the inexperience of some of the workers as well as the poor quality of the materials supplied by the Soviet government. With which there is finally a clear accusation of the ruling establishment and of course the KGB for their odious, undercover activities and illegal practices.

Martín (Hache) (1997)

A character studio of four people who present themselves as prisoners of their own actions.

[7/10 · 27 April 2024]

19-year-old, Argentina-born Martin (Juan Diego Botto), nicknamed H, has a nearly fatal drug overdose. After that his mother sends him to Madrid, where his film director father (Federico Luppi), also called Martin, lives with his new much younger lover Alicia (Cecilia Roth) and bisexual actor friend Dante (Eusebio Poncela). Since no one knows for sure whether the incident was an accident or an attempted suicide, and since there is no place for Hache in his mother's life anyway, his father takes him to Madrid. The two try to bridge the obvious difficulties between father and son, and above all to fill Hache's life with new courage and cheerfulness.

The quartet of the great actors are wonderful: Juan Diego Botto as Hache, as those who know him call him, he is a young man who, after an almost fatal encounter, comes to Madrid to live with his father, stunningly played by Federico Luppi as a film director who has been in Spain for many years and who left Buenos Aires when he separated from his mother and does not want to return to his previous life or his country. His life is stable and without commitments with his lover Alicia, nicely acted by Cecilia Roth, and his best friend, the actor Dante, a splendid Eusebio Poncela. But his coexistence with his 19-year-old son will force him to face the problems that he had hidden behind a barrier of years. The film makes an introspective study of four characters, although throughout it we may seem somewhat pedantic, people who always have the word on point, philosophizing and giving opinions on everything and all around; however, finally we realize keep in mind that they are all imperfect people with their vital defects and failures in their actions. In such a way that as the film progresses it improves noticeably until reaching a sensitive and intelligent ending.

In "Martín (Hache)", the experienced filmmaker Adolfo Aristarain weaves a film whose plot unfolds above all through intelligently conducted, thought-provoking isssues and profound dialogues. The story focuses on the four protagonists, whose characterization becomes clearer and deeper as the plot progresses. Despite half-hearted attempts to break out of their current lives, they always return to the starting point remorseful. It is thanks to the outstanding acting performance of the actors that boredom does not arise at any moment. On the contrary, the dialogues captivate and fuel the tension until the decisive and unsettling finale. Many feelings are only hinted at, thus giving free rein to the audience's ability to interpret. "Martín (Hache)" has received numerous awards at international festivals, including the 1998 Goya Award for Best Female Actress for the terrific Cecilia Roth.

The motion picture was competently directed by Adolfo Aristaráin, At the same time, the director does not make the mistake of trying to describe everything down to the smallest detail in words. Adolfo has extensive experience as assistant director to Mario Camus, Sergio Leone, Lewis Gilbert and Melvin Frank, debuting as a director in ¨The Lion's Share¨ (1978) but that was a failure that led him to direct two bad films to survive: ¨The Beach of Love (1970)¨ and ¨ The nightclub of love¨. He returns to the detective genre with the attractive ¨Tiempo de revancha (1980) ¨and ¨Los ultimos Días De la Victima (1982) ¨giving a sordid portrait of Argentina during the military dictatorship. Later he made the TV series: ¨The Adventures of Pepe Carvalho¨ in Spain about the notorious detective written by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. He then films in English in co-production with USA three police irregulars: Deadly¨. The Stranfäger¨, and ¨Past Perfect¨. His best and most personal work is "A Place in the World" (1992), a heartfelt love story seen through the political prism with which he wins the Golden Shell at the San Sebastian Festival. Later, he makes the irregular "La Ley de la Frontera¨ (1995), where he defends the cinema of love and adventure and the much more personal Martin (Hache) in which he narrates the tense relationships between a film director, his lover, his son and an actor. Rating: 6.5/10. Better than average.

Vanguard (2020)

This thrilling Chan movie is crammed full of action-packed, overwhelming stunt-work and lots of special effects.

[5/10 · 27 April 2024]

This action movie achieved success in China , but not outside of Asian countries. Concerns Guoli (Jackson Lou), a Chinese accountant based in Great Britain, he has been forcibly hired by Maasym, boss of the terrorist organization Brothers of Vengeance, to finance his projects like selling oil or valuable artifacts. Maasym wanted Qin to help him buy weapons of mass destruction. After Qin had tipped off Scotland Yard, Maasym was killed in a military operation by US forces, but his son Omar (Eyad Hourani) has survived and seeks for vengeance, he now wants to get his hands on his father's money, whose whereabouts are solely known to Qin. Omar has hired the mercenary gang Arctic Wolves, who kidnap Qin and his new wife Meiwei during London Chinatown's Chinese New Year festival. Vanguard, an international security company that carries out protection beyond frontiers is assigned to protect Qin, sending agents Zhang Kaixuan (Ai Lun), Lei Zhenyu (Yang Yang) and Mi Ya (Miya Muqi) to rescue him. After the operation's successful conclusion, Qin asks Vanguard's director Tang Huanting (Jackie Chan) a risked mission. Then Tang faces the most dangerous and feared gang on the planet to protect the daughter Fareeda (Xu Ruohan), who is currently in Africa. Protection beyond frontiers !.

Explosions, martial arts, noisy action, shootouts, excessive and not perfect digital effects; everything is part of this typical Jackie Chan film. Dealing with the organization Vanguard, a Covert security company, it is the last hope of survival for an accountant after he is targeted by the world's deadliest mercenary organization. Written, produced and directed by Stanley Tong, this marks the sixth collaboration between Tong and the Asian star, who had previously worked in successful films such as Myth (2005) and Kung Fu yoga (2017), which cemented the fame of the most well-known Chinese actor.

On this occasion, the king of oriental action cinema plays Tang Huanting, a security expert behind the murderous gang dubbed the Arctic Wolves. Jackie Chan is top notch as one army man fighting a group of heinous villains and as always he makes his own stunts. Chan is a hard-working actor and director throughout his long and varied career. However , Jackie Chan's failed at Box-office in his American debut ,¨Battle creek brawl¨. Chan usually pays overt homage to two of his greatest influences as Charles Chaplin and Harold Lloyd . He went on playing ¨Cannoball¨ , ¨The protector¨ and "Rumble in the Bronx", until getting all American successes with ¨Shangai Knights¨ , ¨The tuxedo¨ , ¨Around the world in 80 days¨ and ¨Rush hour¨ trilogy , and the remake ¨Karate kid¨. Of course , his biggest hits were ¨The Police story¨ series that won the Golden Horse Award, a Chinese version of the Oscar, the first was titled ¨Police story (1985)¨ directed by Jackie Chan himself, it was a perfect action film for enthusiasts of the genre; the following was ¨Police story 2 (1988)¨ also pretty violent but also with abundant humor touches. It's followed by ¨Supercop¨ or ¨Police story 3¨ and finally , ¨Police story IV: Crime story¨. The picture Ji xian feng (2020) was averagely but professionally directed by Stanley Tong and helped by Jackie Chan. Rating : Acceptable and passable , the picture has its spectacular moments here and there. It's an entertaining action film for enthusiasts of the genre and especially for Jackie fans . Rating: 4.5/10.

The Pirate and the Slave Girl (1959)

Mediocre Italian adventure with intrepid pirates and exotic scenarios.

[5/10 · 26 April 2024]

This is an entertaining swashbuckling, full of action, naval battles, desert fights, thrills , romance, and of course , a lot of sword-play. Bianca (Graciella Granata) , the beautiful daughter of Rhodes military governor, travels in the San Luca from the Venice Republic to her home in Rhodes, and without her knowledge, the ship also brings secret orders for her father to attack the Mediterranean ports dominated by the Sultan Selim. Roberto Diego (Massimo Serato) is going in the trial by spent a night with a married woman. When a ship carrying the daughter of Rhodes' governor and secret documents is captured by Mediterranean pirate Dragut (Lex Barker) , the governor tasks captain Diego with their recovery before they can be sold to Sultan Selim. The sad knews reach the Governor of Rhodes when he was expelling Diego, and free the girl. Without alternatives, the Governor accepts, and Diego enlists as a pirate under the service of Dragut. In his devious mind, once he gets his hands on the plans, he will sell them for good price to Suliman, whom he knows to pay in gold, rather than a polite thank you, as the Governor would do. After a number of adventures, escaping the wooing of beautiful and mean Arab Princess Miriam (Chelo Alonso) who falls for Diego, they are captured. He Took By Force... what he could have had for love!

The film is a nice pirate-adventure movie , being produced in limited budget. The picture contains rousing action, romantic adventure , mayhem and a fine cast doing a fine job. Lex Barker is cool as Dragut, the terrific Mediterranean pirate hero who attacks and conquers the Sun Luca and encounters dangerous situations along the way. This is one of Lex Barker's many Italian adventures, after his exile from the United States to Europe where he starred in all kinds of genres, excelling in Westerns such as the Karl May films: The highbrow Lex Barker played the most part of series : ¨Apache gold (1963)¨ by Harald Reinl , ¨Apaches last Battle (1964)¨ by Hugo Fregonese, ¨Last of renegades (1964)¨, ¨The desperate trail¨, ¨Old Surehand¨ (1965) directed by Alfred Vohrer, ¨Old Shatterland(1966)¨ by Harald Philipp , ¨In the valley of death (1968)¨ by Harald Reinl . And being the starring of adventure films, such as: ¨Robin Hood and the Pirates¨, ¨The Secret of the Blue Men¨, ¨The Executioner of Venice¨, ¨Tales of the Vikings¨, ¨El capitán Fuego¨, ¨La scimitarra del saraceno¨, ¨Il figlio del corsaro rosso¨. Barker married 5 times, his fifth wife, Carmen Cervera, (who later married Baron Tyssen), a former Miss Spain. Barker was very known for his role as Tarzan, normally quite hairy-chested, Barker was forced to submit to a full body wax in order to play the buffed version of Tarzan demanded by the producers. This entertaining adventure film has Lex Barker as its absolute protagonist. However, the real protagonist turns out to be Massimo Serato, since the latter spends more time on the screen, he plays an unscrupulous captain, who immediately offers his services to retake the ship, to recover his daughter and the message in exchange of his release. This classic story of romantic adventure come to life enriched by Technicolor cinematography in charge of cameraman Augusto Tiezzi adapted magnificently to screen .Therea are battle ships and sword-play and full of villainy , romance , swashbuckler, heroism and a decisive sword duel to the death. Usual dancing scenes in charge of a gorgeous and always erotic Chelo Alonso. And accompanying some secondaries usuals in B-Italian films , such as: Daniele Vargas, Gianni Rizzo, Luigi Tosi, Michele Malaspina and Graziella Granata's film debut.

The motion picture was middlingly but professionally directed by Piero Pierotti . He was an artisan who wrote and directed a lot of adventure movies , Peplum and Historical films , such as : The Black Archer ,Marco Polo , Fury of the Vikings , Rome versus Rome , Pedro El Cruel, Hercules against Corsaire Noir , Hercules versus Rome, Robin Hood , Maciste in Hell , Hercules and the Masked Rider .

The Mask (1994)

Entertaining and funny fantasy/comedy film with cartoonist roles based on Tex Avery animation.

[6/10 · 26 April 2024]

This is a special effects-driven comedy based on Dark Horse comic books series. It deals with a bank employee , Jim Carrey, who becomes involved with a beautiful singer, Cameron Díaz, and a group of thieves led by Peter Greene. Things go wrong, when Carrey finds a fantastic mask with supernatural powers. This mask provides godlike faculties, that's why the baddies willing to get it at whatever cost.

This is a rip-roaring and fun action fantasy movie that got smash hit at the boxoffice. It packs exaggerated humor, frantic action, excessive jokes, and hilarious set pieces with nice moments here and there . Pitched at hectic pace, lots of cartoonist FX , Tex Avery-alike, and with ominous camera angles to create genuine area de aprehension. The movie is studded with fun scenes but also some embarrassing and overblown frames. The film results to be a stunning vehicle for the great comical Jim Carrey at his best period, his rubber faces are an incredible asset , magnified by the breathtaking special effects, courtesy of Industrial Light Magic. And Cameron Díaz is very likeable and more beautiful than ever. And accompanied by a good secondary cast, such as : Peter Riegert, Peter Greene, Amy Yasbeck, Richard Jeni, Johnny Williams, among others.

It contains a colorful and brilliant cinematography by John R Leonetti . Likewise, a lively and catching musical score by Randy Edelman . The motion picture was well directed by Chuck Russell, providing a megablast of mayhem with occassional original touches, even if whole central setup fails to convince at all. Chuck is a notorios producer, writer and director, an expert on action, terror and violent films that has directed the following: his first big hit: The Blob, Nightmare on Elm Street 3 , The Scorpion King, Eraser, Junglee, I am wrath, Paradise City. Russell is co-creator of Darabont-Fried-Russell Productions and he has only made a comedy film: The Mask (1994). Followed by an inferior and failed sequel: Son of the Mask 2005 by Laurence Guterman with Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Bob Hoskins.

CHIPS (2017)

Below average and silly film adaptation of a popular 1970s TV series.

[4/10 · 25 April 2024]

"CHiPs," which stood for California Highway Patrol, follows the daily beats of two state motorcycle patrolmen as they patrolled the freeway system in and around Los Angeles. At the beginning, at the training center for the California Highway Patrol, an older rookie motorcycle officer named Jon Baker (Dax Shepard) is being allowed to graduate on a probationary basis. He is a former freestyle motocross racer beginning a new career after his body has been left damaged by his sport. The FBI agent, now undercover as Frank (Ponch) Poncherello (Michael Peña), is sent to the CHP after an armored car robbery, which makes it apparent that there are corrupt cops working in the department. Both report to their superiors, who gave out assignments and advice in handling the cases. The corrupt officers are seen being led by Lt. Ray Kurtz (Vincent D'Onofrio), who is stealing the money from armored cars to get his heroin-addicted son out of Los Angeles.

This comic-book stuff dealing with the adventures of two California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers contains humor, irony, suspense, thrills, noisy action-packed, crossfire and lots of violence with multiple deaths. There are compilation of incidents, ranging from the humorous to criminal investigations such as robbery, tragic incidents and chases. A stupid adaptation without much sense in which there is continuous action, bad words, foul-mouthed characters and some motorcycle pursuits. It is an inferior film without much sense that disgraced the classic television series of the seventies by introducing continuous sexual references, profanity, swearing and nudism. While in the classic series starring Erik Strada and Larry Ward, a pleasant relationship is developed between the two protagonists, in this case CHIPS(2017) the relationship is limited to bad taste, jokes, coarseness and sleazeness. Here officer Jon Baker/Dax Sheppard is the straight, serious officer, an inexperienced rookie who's teamed up with a hardened pro at the California Highway Patrol, and Frank "Ponch" Poncherello/Michael Peña is the more free- wheeling member of the duo and often provided the lighter moments. Dax Shepard did most of his own stunts, including the stoppie during the training test. There are many familiar faces in the supporting cast giving functional performances, such as: Vincent D'Onofrio, Rosa Salazar, Kristen Bell, Jessica McNamee, Adam Brody, Isiah Whitlock Jr. Richard T. Jones, Justin Chatwill, Jane Kaczmarek, Ed Begley Jr., David Koechner, among others

The motion picture was lousily acted/produced and directed by Dax Shepard. Screenwriter and star Dax Shepard specifically wrote the role of his wife Karen for his real-life wife, and mother of his two daughters, Kristen Bell. He previously made a made TV films and movies, such as: About a Boy, Parenthood, Hit and run and Brother's Justice. And played a lot of films , such as: Zathura: A Space Adventure, Employee of the month, Cheaper by the docen, Without a Paddle; Sledge: the untold story, among others. Rating: 3.5/10.

Cleopatra (1934)

A spectacular and sumptuous show in Cecil DeMille peculiar style.

[6/10 · 25 April 2024]

Cleopatra 1934 by Cecil B. DeMille boasts a great cast with Claudette Colbert, Henry Wilconson, Warren William, C Aubrey Smith. A hockey and extravagant retelling of the infamous Queen who becomes infatuated with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. The film is one of Cecil B. DeMille's most lavish productions, where he once again demonstrates, as he had already done in 'The 10 Commandments' and 'Kings of Kings', his great sense of spectacle, his ability for mass scenes, his sense of the rhythm and a cast of thousands. The Egyptian Queen Cleopatra (Claudette Colbert), wants to rule Egypt by defeating her brother Ptolomeo and sister Arsinoe but she needs the power of Rome to make things happen, as well as continue the sucession on her child Cesarion, the out-of-wedlock son of Cleopatra and Caesar. Set 44 BC, Julius Caesar (Warren William) is murdered by Brutus and Casius, governing the second triumvirate formed by Lepido who runs Africa, Octavius Augustus ruling over Hispania and Marc Anthony over Egypt and Orient. Then When Caesar's possible successor Marc Anthony (Henry Wilconson), one of the highest ranking Roman generals, comes to Egypt along with his army, she seduces the conqueror in order to gain the kingdom again. Cleopatra transfers her affections to Marc Antony and dazzles him on a barge, but things do not turn out as well. There starts a tragic love story with fateful consequences. And finally they fight in Actium against Octavius Augustus (Ian Keith). A love affair that shook the world!. History's most seductive woman! The screen's mightiest spectacle!. The love affair that shook the world!. Set In A Spectacle of Thrilling Magnificence!

High budget trashy version of the famous Queen of Egypt and Roman lovers, as her lust for Marc Anthony after Caesar's death. Although the best-known version of the story was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz , DeMille's version, which over the years, benefits from the prominence of the French-born hollywood star Claudette Colbert, one of the great female stars of the 1930s and 1940s, thanks to films like ¨Cecil B DeMille's The sign of the cross¨ and ¨Frank Capra's It Happened One Night¨. A glamorous spectacle, especially the scenes aboard Cleopatra's barge, dwarfs everything else, which has the considerable advantage of being less than half the length of the overlong Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton/Rex Harrison epic of almost 30 years later.

This known history about the famous Queen, the popular Egypt temptress who pins her hopes on rash Marc Anthony results to be an extravaganza in huge budget. It is a multifaceted sleeping tablet with historical characters giving plain and simple recreation. It contains abundant matte painting, carton/stone settings, well-staged battles, some opulent grotesque interiors and a few actors hopelessly wooden and full of Cecil B. DeMillean splendor.

This big budget motion picture was competently directed by Cecil B DeMille following his particular style. The film was Academy Award nominated for best picture. DeMille was a great professional who made various epic, historical and Colossal films, such as : "The Ten Commandments 1923" , "King of Kings" , "Cleopatra" , "The Plainsman" ," The Crusades" , "Union Pacific" , "Unconquered" , "Samson and Dalilah" and "The Ten Commandments version 1956" . Rating 6.5/10 . Above average.

Others films concerning this historic figure Cleopatra are as follows : Silent version ¨Cleopatra¨ 1917, starring Theda Bara. ¨Serpent of the Nile¨ (1953) by William Castle with Rhonda Fleming, William Lundigan, Raymond Burr. ¨Two nights with Cleopatra¨ 1954 by Mario Mattioli with Sofia Loren, Alberto Sordi, Paul Muller.¨ Cleopatra's legions¨ 1959 by Vittorio Cottafavi with Linda Cristal, Ettore Manni, Georges Marchal, Conrado San Martin. ¨A Queen for Caesar¨ 1962 by Piero Pierotti with Pascale Petit, George Ardisson, Akin Tamiroff, Gordon Scott, Corrado Pani . ¨Cleopatra¨ 1963 by Joseph L Mankiewicz with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Martin Landau, Roddy McDowall, Hume Cronyn, Andrew Keir. ¨Cleopatra miniseries¨ 1999 by Franc Roddan with Leonor Varela, Timothy Dalton, Billy Zane, Patrick Stewart.

Dead of Night (1945)

Early 'anthology movie¨with astonishing performances of the greatest British actors at the time.

[7/10 · 25 April 2024]

Mysterious and intriguing 'omnibus' film, blending various horror tales providing entertainment enough. Architect Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns) is summoned down to a house called Pilgrim's Farm by a prospective client whom he does not know. On arrival, he experiences strongly the feeling that he has been to the place before. He is taken into the house and introduced by his host to a group of people. He is welcomed by the owner, Eliot Foley (Roland Culver). Foley introduces him to psychiatrist Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), his friend Joan Cortland (Googie Withers), his young neighbor Sally O'Hara (Sally Ann Howes), among others. These also are familiar, though none of them appear to know him. After somewhat constrained greetings, he tells them that he has met them all, and the house, and the situation is a recurring dream. Craig tells he has a sensation of déjà vu, he explains how this dream always starts quietly and pleasantly, at the present moment, but after a certain small incident invariably starts to darken into a ghastly nightmare, culminating in horror. There are several histories: an undertaker (Miles Malleson) may have saved his life, young Sally (Sally Ann Howes) may have encountered a sad young ghost and Mrs. Courtland (Googie Withers) buys an antique mirror, in it , her husband, but only her husband, could see a room from the previous century. Even greater than "Seventh Veil"!. The unexpected Unexpected, The Tragic, The Comic, The Romantic, The Dramatic.....Like Nothing!. In This World You've Ever Thrilled To Before !.

A classic terror film financed by Ealing Studios with a great British cast and formed by several segments full of creepy events , chills, thrills, suspense and surprises. A must for chiller addicts and still revered as one of the biggest pieces of ghost-story telling ever to come from the British cinema. The film goes back to the original group for an ending that has influenced several antology movies since, specially from the Brit companies: 'Hammer', 'Amicus' , 'Tigon' and US production: 'American International Pictures' from James H Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff. The best part is , of course, the final story, in which Michael Redgrave unnervingly plays a ventriloquist who appears to be exchanging personalities with his demonic dummy, Hugo, who supposedly has a mind of its own, and that the mind is evil. And the worst one is the whimsical tale of two golfing friends who play a round of golf to see who win the hand of the girl they both love. But the final scene, in its disturbing and and surrealist way, is most frightening than any of the tales told to Mervyn Johns by the inhabitants of the dark old cottage.

Various thrilling episodes reach shattering climaxes thanks to knife-edge direction by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden , though the tale directed by Charles Crichton, intented as comic relief, is somewhat less successful. A vintage film which is really worthy of that adjective, will have little appeal for younger children, but older kids who are open-minded enough to attempt something both old and British will be well rewarded.

Well produced by Michael Balcon, Director and Head of Production at Ealing Studios from 1937-59. Including a tense and thrilling musical score by classic composer Georges Auric. The motion picture was professionally directed by the best British filmmakers: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Charles Crichton who had long cinematic careers. Rating: 7/10. Above average. Worthwhile watching.

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Good and moving film plenty of mystery, intrigue, frantic action and surprises .

[7/10 · 24 April 2024]

¨Along Came a Spider¨ (2001) by Lee Tamahori boasts a good cast with Morgan Freeman, Monica Potter, accompanied by a large number of secondary acquaintances giving acceptable interpretations tailored to his roles. This notable mystery thriller results to be the second entry on Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman), a Washington D. C. cop and forensic psychologist. This time Detective Cross must join forces with Secret Service agent Jezzie Flannigan (Monica Potter), in order to catch a dangerous criminal, Gay Soneji (Michael Wincott), who seeks notoriety in his crimes. He wants his crimes to be considered the most important and difficult to solve and to achieve this he weaves a cunning plot. The trap is comparable to the web that spiders create to trap their victims and their pursuers. It all begins with the disappearance of a senator's daughter (Mika Boorem). A tangled web of danger and deceit...!.The game is far from over !. Two cops on the trail of a brutal killer !. They must see as one, they must act as one, they must think as one, before the next victim falls !.

Veteran Freeman (Slevin Case, Batman Begins) reprises his role as forensic detective Alex, which he played before in ¨Kiss the girls¨. On this occasion he shares the spotlight with the young Monica Potter (Saw, 5 Men for Lucy). A thrilling film with big name cast and full of action, tension, entertainment, twists and turns. Morgan Freeman lends his authorative presence to the central role as Washington, D. C. detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross who's assigned the case of an abducted little girl and he'll stop at nothing to free her. Following a fascinating first 15 minutes the movie loses impetus as the writer struggles to spin it out towards almost two-hour length. Gripping, dark, and tense movie is packed with intrigue from the beginning to the end. In this thrilling, grim and suspenseful film, developing a game of cat and mouse between a creepy murderer and Alex Cross. It isn't too hard to figure what follows from this contrived scenario: lots of gruesome slayings to be picked over, moody set-pieces where Freeman has to creep around in the dark wondering if the maniac is going to leap out. The material is well known and clichéd at times, no doubt, but all concerned give it top class treatment. This is a modern and impressive thriller that meets all the requirements of the genre, belonging to the new generation of intrigue films from the late 90s and early 2000s. Director Tamahori already had experience in mystery stories and demonstrates it efficiently. On this occasion we once again have a stellar couple of actors leading the cast. On the one hand, the Afro-American actor Morgan Freeman is a guarantee at the box office by playing a police hunting for a serial kidnapper. Next to him appears the actress Monica Potter, somewhat unknown at that time, she is terrific as the stubborn agent. The great duo of protagonists are well accompanied by a wonderful supporting cast, such as: Michael Wincott, Dylan Baker, Mika Boorem, Anton Yelchin, Kim Hawthorne, Jay O. Sanders, Billy Burke, Michael Moriarty, Penelope Ann Miller, Anna Maria Horsford, among others.

Adapted from the novel by James Patterson and a triloy is made: the first is ¨Kiss the girls¨ (1997) by Gary Fleder with Freeman, Ashley Judd, Cary Elwes, Alex McArthur, Tony Goldwyn, Jay O. Sanders, Bill Nunn, Brian Cox, Richard T. Jones, Roma Maffia, Jeremy Piven, Gina Ravera, William Converse-Roberts. ¨Along Came a Spider¨(2001) and ¨Alex Cross¨ (2012) by Rob Cohen in which Freeman is replaced by Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Edward Burns .

Filmmaker Lee Tamahori is enough of a technician to make sure the movie pushes the right intrigue buttons, and the art direction at the crime scenes is so hideous that isn't apt for squeamish. This mysterious and interesting motion picture was compellingly directed by Lee Tamahori, he skillfully orchestrates a cool film plenty of suspense, action, thrilling moments and plot twists. The flick works pretty well and is paced along admirably but also packs some brief flawed scenes.

It displays a pulsing and suspenseful musical score by the great veteran Jerry Goldsmith, a musician expert on mysterious and tense enviroments. Likewise , a brilliant and colorful cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti. The motion picture was compellingly directed by Lee Tamahori. But he borrows heavily from ¨Seven¨, ¨Silence of the lambs¨, and others films of the genre, and this psycho-killer thriller at times falls far short. Lee Tamahori is a craftsman (Once Were Warriors, The edge, Mullholand Falls, XXX: State of Union, The Convert, Along came a spider) who has directed successful action movies and made it much better in James Bond series (Die another day). Rating: 6.5/10. Above average.