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GeorgeEc
Reviews
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Probably one of the best movies ever made.
Not much to say. This movie is a must-watch. I can not believe how well it was shot, how got the story was and how redeeming it is. I am very happy I have spent some quality time myself to watch it.
The Matrix (1999)
More than meets the eye.
To understand this movie, you must free your mind first. One of the greatest movies ever, made us discuss it for years. I call this a masterpiece and it will become a classic in the future. This one; not the sequels.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Rebooting the franchise?
When the Matrix came out, it instantly became one of my favorite movies ever. It still is. Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions made me feel like I was betrayed. So what is Matrix 4?
It feels like an apology to a specific part of the fans of the first movie. Ab apology for Reloaded and Revolutions". With an artistic fourth wall bounce, the movie makes it crystal clear what this is all about and what the first Matrix was all about.
Case 39 (2009)
Actually good.
I am a horror fan, I like movies that set the mood right and I hate jump scare filled cheap productions. I give this a 6 and not a 7 for a few reasons.
First of all, let me tell you that it starts with some jump scares. Fortunately they are not many, but it spoils the whole experience. It could be a masterpiece if these were substituted with scenes that were not... jump scares. So it gets a big penalty for me.
It is not a masterpiece, all right. Is it at least decent? Well yes. I didn't felt that I wasted my time watching it. It is worth watching it for a few good reasons.
It has scenes that were really well set to be horror and uncanny. I will spoil nothing. The fact that the plot was obvious from the beginning and yet it kept me watching it, made me feel good about the movie. Was it rewarding? Well yes! It had scenes that would make people feel very uncomfortable.
So yeah, a 6/10 would be the score here. Interesting. Nothing less, nothing more though.
Midsommar (2019)
Unusual, uncanny and deep horror movie.
It is a beautiful horror movie but not an easy one. It is not meant to please the mainstream audience. It is a great movie but it demands to use your brain a lot.
You get hint all the time on what is gonna happen next, still it keeps you intense. It is full of symbolism.
There are a lot of things going on with this film. For instance, some scenes give some similarities with bees.
The uncanny feeling, the disturbing chorus, the whole feeling-idea "they don't belong there and neither do I" is always there haunting you. When people start to disappear, you know that this will not end good.
The greatest thing of all though, is the ending scene. That gives the whole depth of meaning to the movie in my opinion. Dani loses everything that was connecting her with her modern western culture, while she redefined herself as a part of a new family.
Ali Wong: Baby Cobra (2016)
I loved it.
She is pretty, she is smart, she isn't shy, she doesn't play under safe humor and she made me laugh several times. I totally recommend this.
Pet Sematary (2019)
Not as good as expected.
It was a horror movie all right, without jump scares and cheap tricks but it still lacked some elements and the scenario had a few holes. Many differences with the book, very few worked well though. I personally didn't like it but didn't hate it either.
The Shape of Water (2017)
Surprisingly perfect.
If a movie awakens your romantic part that you had forgotten it was there, then the movie is considered a masterpiece. Fantastic acting, great and realistic dialogues and scenes for the setting.
Most of all though, the movie refers to smart audiences. My jaw had dropped in the end and I was staring with awe, while the credits of this masterpiece were showing up.
Some people got upset with a scene on the beginning, while others understood the purpose of it. It's that kind of movies that I love to watch.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
A memorable experience.
You go to watch a movie. Usually you see fancy stuff, maybe a fateful coincidence and things that you can predict. This movie tramples this recipe and brings to us something great.
It is realistic to begin with. And it also ends in a realistic way. The characters are built step by step and there is more than meets the eye to them. The movie tells a story that could have happened.
One of the greatest movies of 2018 for sure.
Ta hronika tou Drakofoinika: Adamastos (2013)
Greek Epic movie done right.
Come on! I mean, most of Greek epic movie attempts were like taking a Cinecittà movie and passing it through Bollywood's worst directors and stuff. I mean, for a parody, some movies were really great. But nobody dared to make a true epic movie.
Until now.
This is the very first movie that is Greek and does everything right. There are some weak spots of course, but for a movie with such limited budget, I can be more than forgiving here.
So, let's begin. What about the story of Indominable? Well it is written and directed by people that know what they are doing and what they are talking about. Conan and Tolkien influence is obvious and this is a good thing. It is about a slave that never bows. It has a world with its own rich lore, its own history and its own ethics. Oh yes! AT LAST! Forget about any fourth wall breaks that pt ethic stereotypes of our world into this fantasy world. Ethics there are original. Well made without mistakes. At last! A movie that isn't full of moral or sentimental bullshit. Well made.
Music. Influenced by Poledouris I suppose. Well made soundtrack.
Costumes. Well, for such a budget, the costumes were a huge success. Fantastic.
Directed very well, using special effects in a very good way. You see, special effects can boost or ruin a movie. Here, the effects were a great boost. The photography of the movie is also stunning, showing a hidden beauty of mountains of Greece. I personally watch Kermitsis films and I can save that he did a great job on making a long film like this one.
Finally, I will close this review mentioning the only weak spot. Some actors, were not doing it right. I say that in general, but be aware that at least two of them, did it wrong and it is obvious. But that's not the case. If the movie had more budget available, there would be more professional actors involved.
So do I recommend it? Of course I do! This is the first serious epic movie that I have seen, it has its own world, its own ethics, it's own lore and gods, it characters with background, a comics series to back the movie's world, and Yannis Roumboulias, the creator of that world wielding an iron sword. What else would you want?
To mikro psari (2014)
Well made.
Yannis Economidis, the director, started his career by doing something really extraordinary. Something new and daring. His movies do not follow the conventional rules of a "product" that has to sell. His movies have to say something and that's it.Of course sometimes this turns out bad, so Yannis had to do a few things for the first time. Like choosing actors with a very different approach. The team of actors were some well known and recognizable faces, merged with actors that are appropriate in a Yannis Economidis film. If I would be a director, I would have the same aesthetics as Yannis has. I love the photography of the movie. Starting with abandoned places, rust, dirt, same aesthetic as the incredible "dirty street light" scene for a few seconds on Soul Kicking. The sound is nicely layered to the whole film. Keeps realism flowing through the whole film. The music. Well I have to state that there is no fanfare without reason. It is simple and minimalistic yet it is solid and well fit to the whole feeling of the movie. I take the movie as a noir gangster film, that focus on ethics. Stratos is a really nice anti-hero. Well made, having a background, a present situation and finally a redeeming thing to do. The movie plays with the spectator's feelings. It is empty and silent, like a desert of Strato's heart. Yet in the end, it seems that feelings come back to life inside Strato. He is capable to love purely and that makes him do something out of his feelings. Strato's feelings got him into trouble in the past. Now for the second time his feelings will put an end on all of this, but the feelings are different and that is what redeems him.
A full story, well made, with Yanni's signature placed well inside it. Yannis had to deal with the fact that he had to make something more... commercial than his art. He had to care about drawing people to watch his movies. It is irritating I suppose. But yet it is needed. The good thing is that he kept his character and personal signature of his movies into this one too.
I would put a 10/10 because it surpasses every Greek movie I have ever seen, but i still expect more by the director. This is not his peak. So Yannis, I put an 8/10 just to make you do that leap that might make you direct an award winning movie in the end.
Do I recommend it? Of course I do. But it isn't for everyone. It is not a pleasant movie you are gonna enjoy with your girlfriend, drinking cola and eating tortilla dips, no. Such movies, like "Το Μικρό Ψάρι" make you think and feel hard. And that is what I like about them.
I watched "Spirtokouto" with friends. All his next movies, were watched by me into a cinema room, from a seat, just to support and show my respect to one of the greatest and most daring directors Greece has.