charlesdias

IMDb member since October 2006
    Lifetime Total
    25+
    IMDb Member
    17 years

Reviews

Outpost
(2008)

Nice scifi/horror/war/action movie
If you ever played the famous game (PC and console) Wolfenstein, you will love this movies.

I like too much stories mixing horror and ominous Nazi scientific experiments. It's a very interesting and prolific genre. Sometimes you get some very poor stories, but it's not the case of this one. It's simple, it's plain and it's interesting with a nice mix of suspense, horror and action.

I like the way the actors played the characters, they are very realistic. Production is also very nice, no CGI at all, but only the good old way of creating weird and dark places.

If you want to see a cool mystery/horror movies with no fuzzy plot, this is the one. I recommend.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
(2007)

Drowned in a deep ocean of confusion
Just as most people I loved the first film because it was a fun and full of adventure honest pirates adventure movie. I like too much Cpt. Sparrow with his dandy-acid high manners and the seductive course around the treasure and the living dead bad pirates.

The second movie was so-so but still interesting.

But this third one is a a mess of plots inside plots inside plots with a Greek goddess and love all around. I must say I fell drowned in a deep ocean of confusion after watching this movie.

I think the director/producers did a poor job trying to turn a funny adventure movie into a cerebral epic one.

Meet the Spartans
(2008)

Very nice humor movie
I know I'm accepting a big risk in saying this, but I preferred this satire than the original movie. Really.

OK this movie is full of cheap easy jokes and references to other movies, but they managed to do this In very interesting way. It's not 100% idiot jokes humorless jokes.

It's really interesting seeing Kevin Sorbo playing a not-so-gay spartan. Its version of Xerxes is hilarious. And there is the gorgeous Carmen Electra playing a horny queen ... nice.

If you want to watch a movie with no cerebral pretensions but just some nice jokes for LOL, give this one a try.

2012: Doomsday
(2008)

Waste of time
This movie promises something interesting but just delivers Christian religious propaganda, poor CGI effects, far-from-good actors and a very cliché story.

I'm really unable to understand why people would spend money to film a movie like that, it's a waste of money, just it. Perhaps some people gets some nice tax reduction investing in films like that because I doubt it makes enough money to worth the trouble.

If you want some religious propaganda plus wasting your time and money, feel free to rent/buy and watch this movie. I you want a good advise, rent another movie and never think about this one, even if it's in the bargain basket.

Zwartboek
(2006)

One of the best WWII movies I've ever seen
I'm a fan of WWII movies since I was a boy and I must say this one is one of the best movies of the theme I've ever seen.

If you like The Pianist you'll love this one too. Production is near perfect, characters are deep and intriguing, actors and actresses play very, very well and the history is very interesting. I think Verhoven got the perfect mix of all these ingredients to create a very good movie.

It would be no surprise for me if this movies wins the Oscar because it really deserves it.

This is one of the movies I'll buy the DVD to my collection and I dare to say few movies per year finds a place in my collection.

The Heartbreak Kid
(2007)

I expected more
It's very interesting the way great comedians starts their careers with great movies and than accept to work on so-so or bad movies and then in great movies again. It's a strange repetitive circle. It's not different with Ben Stiler.

The problem with this movie is that it's just average funny. It has a nice basic plot but it wasn't explored to the bone,but only superficially. Most jokes are silly and weak exploring sexual content. Note I'm not against sexual content jokes but it need to be clever ones to be good.

I think it's a nice movie for a lazy rainy Saturday afternoon but it's just it.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
(2007)

Beautiful
This movie is very beautiful. I love the photography, light and colors used along the scenes. It's a very good work that catches the eyes, really.

Story is very interesting although quite boring in some parts. But it's not a problem at all. You'll enjoy it a lot if you like historic movies.

The play of the actors is impressive. Kate Blanchet is perfect in this movie.

I saw this movie before I knew it is a sequel of the another movie, Elizabeth, and I'm looking forward to watch this other one too.

The Invasion
(2007)

Worths the ticket
I like this movie. It's not a better version of the 80's classic body snatchers movie but It's nice.

I like the clean look of the movie. Nice photography and good actors. Nicole Kidman is still stunning in her age ... I hope I marry to a women that gets older like her, I'll love it.

I think the director wanted this movie to have some suspense sequences but he failed completely. Action is just warm and fa from hot, thrilling.

Anyway I think this movies is worth seeing. It's a sugarcoated science fiction adventure but it's funny. Give it a chance, I think you'll like it.

Train de vie
(1998)

Very funny WWII movie
This is one of the best humor movies I've ever seen. It's really hard to mix a war plot with nice fine humor. Some try it but the result is very bad. This movie is an exception, it's great and funny.

I think the soul of this movies is it near naive humor. There is no that boring kind of "intelligent and cool humor for intelligent and cool people". It's plain humor works fine.

But don't think this movie is just humor because it has a humanitarian story bellow the humorous cover that touches the heart. It's about human beings doing their best to escape from death.

The soundtrack of this movie is great. I love the music, it's fabulous.

It's a great movie worth of seeing.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
(2007)

Sugarcoated adventure for family viewing
I really liked the first movie with these characters but I got frustrated with this sequel. I was expecting much more intelligent puzzles and breathtaking adventure. Instead this movie is a perfect example of a sugarcoated adventure for family viewing in a lazy Saturday night in DVD in pijamas snacking microwave popcorn.

The plot is weak and far from plausible. There are the iconic characters (the smart hero and his love/hate girlfriend, the funny hero's assistant, the divorced hero's parents, the bad but not so bad guy, the good cop and so on). It's too much cliché for a single movie for allowing it to be a good one.

This definitely isn't a "Top 10" adventure movie. It's OK for viewing with the kids and just it.

I Am Legend
(2007)

It could be better
I was very curious about this movie after all the talk about it. After watching it I must say I expected a little more that it is.

It's first half is quite boring just like the book which it is based. The second half it has more action but the ending of the movie is very, very different from the book and I prefer the book's ending instead.

Will Smith play very well his movies. When I watched him years ago in Fresh Prince of Bell Air I would never expected him playing such a dense characters like the one in this movie so well. He did a really good job.

Special Effects and scenarios is very nice. All the vampires are CGI (computer generated images) of course but it's very good.

The ending is a little frustrating and I think it compromised the general result of the movie. It's ending is something like Independence Day's ending ... quite happy and full of hope. The ending of the book have intelligent vampires creating a new society and than contaminating the characters too for becoming part of their new society.

Well, I think this movies worth the price of the ticket and I recommend it. It could be better but I'm thanks it's not so bad than some other movies around there.

Moving McAllister
(2007)

Frustrating
Romantic comedy movies are definitely the most fertile genre for "bellow from average" movies and source of frustration for viewers. This one is a perfect example of this and got a place in my "top ten worst movies".

History is far from creative and jokes are weak. I found no reason for a single laugh during all the movie! Characters are plain and the performance of the actors and just good. History develops slowly, it's tedious and foreseeable. Ending is also foreseeable and sugar-coated.

This is one that movies you watch in a rainy Saturday afternoon when you have nothing better to watch in my humble opinion.

30 Days of Night
(2007)

One of the nicest vampire movies I've ever seen
I like too much vampire stories (books and movies) and this movie is one of the nicest I've ever seen. Actors play nice and makeup is very nice.

OK it has some flaws, but it's common in any movies. The plot is intelligent and coherent with the location of the story. I like too much the play of the vampires, savage bloodthirsty vampires who hunts with cruelty, no "blasè french like" vampires. There is a lot of blood and violence along the movie, both from vampires and human survivors.

It's very nice the way the survivors run from the vampires, just like runaways in WWII movies.

Some people would say the ending is something clichè, but I like it and I think it is perfect for this movie.

Outsourced
(2006)

This is a "must see" romantic comedy
I am not a fan of romantic comedies, specially "Friends" like ones because I think it is too pasteurized, politically correct. I thank God there is some nice romantic comedies with another spice that taste great for me and this movie is an example of it.

Basically it show the cultural shock of a sad US call center manager sent to India to train an outsourced team. It is very nice how this movie shows the way the de-passionated yank finds the meaning of life in such different place and culture.

I am Brazilian and I know some US people that comes here to visit the country and decided to stay and adopted Brazilian way of life. This movies shows very well this happening.

If you want a very nice movie to watch when you are depressed with your work, pick this one ... and prepare yourself to be eager to travel to an exotic place after it ends.

The Devil and Daniel Webster
(2003)

Another version of an old idea ... but it worths watching
It's very interesting how some old ideas always come back "in new clothing" to movies or literature. This movie is a good example. It's about the "old but nice" cliché of Faust, the man how sells his immortal soul to the devil in exchange of achieving happiness.

I like Jennifer Love Hewitt playing devil in this movie. I don't think she's gorgeous or a tremendous actress, but she's cute and did a good job in this movie.

This movie mixes references to classic US writers, the "not a penny in the pocket" world of the amateur writers struggling to be noted by a publisher and the the US mania for justice court battles.

It's a light movie for relaxing with friends or the girlfriend/boyfriend.

9 rota
(2005)

This is the soviet platoon
This movies is the soviet (yep, that former communist country that was much more than Russia only) version of the famous war movie Platoon, but it has it's own personality.

It's known that Afganistan was the same political war dump Vietnan was to United States. This movie shows that soviet soldiers have the same hell of life trying to survive to war than US soldiers in Vietnan.

I really like this movie. It's very well produced, dialogs are strong, very good actors and nice story.

If you like war movies, this one you need to see by all costs because it's superb. One of the best war movies I have ever watched, really.

Wicked Little Things
(2006)

Terror clichè for the dozen
If you are looking for a really scary movie, this is not the case. I am always amazed how some directors/producers thinks cliché + dark locations results in good terror movies when it is not so easy.

The plot of this movie is not too much imaginative (working kids of a mining complex in the 1900's are killed in an explosion and seeks revenge against the descendants of the mine's owner. A windows with her two girls goes to the house near the mine and you know the rest of it).

Dialogues are weak, actors are so so, no fx at all, poor characterization and just a little tension all along the movie, none really scary moment and a dull ending.

If you're looking for a light terror movies for watching in a lazy Wednesday night or with friends just for fun of watching a terror movie with your buddies, this is the right choice.

Nightmare City 2035
(2007)

Is it profitable?
This movie has all characteristics to be one of the mos awful movies of the year. It's a mix of superficial story with poor dramatization, far than poor sets and cheap CGI (computer generated images).

I choose to watch it because the poster I saw on a website but I needed just three minutes to realize it was a waste of time I just accepted to go on with because it was a lazy rainy Sunday night.

I'm really curious to know why people design, work on and put on the market such crap movies like this one. I barely believe it's minimum profitable. Perhaps it's a way to get some business tax reduction by "supporting culture financing movies production"./ Anyway, just think about watching it in a lazy rainy Sunday with no other good movie aveible for watching.

Rocky Balboa
(2006)

This movie will rock you !!!
OK this movie uses the old recipe for Rocky movies (the challenge, the training, the fight) but it worked again and I really like it !!!

I've read a lot of not so good thinks about this movie around the web (remember the Stallone's botox overdose) but after watching the movie I thought "it's good, really good".

I liked too much the way the movie balances flashbacks and new facts. It's very real the way it shows how life passes and people grow old but it doesn't means the end.

And the fight ... oh God, I remembered again that ice rock inside the stomach when watching Rocky Balboa fighting on the ring with apparently little chance to win and then ... well, it's just very nice.

It's one of the nicest movies I've seen in 2006. It's not the best one but it's nice and I had a lot of pleasure watching it and I recommend it to all you.

Pulse
(2006)

Another bad terror movie
I was very curious about this movie since I've seem its trailer. Basically the plot is very weak plus the way the movie develops the result is very far from a good terror movie. Characters are superficial and actors wasn't in their best work. I think the director of this movie wanted to base it with a mix of ghosts special effects and suspense but the last ingredient was just too little for this purpose and the result is just like a 90 minutes so-so episode of Twinlight Zone. I just liked the dark look of this movies, just like you see in "Underworld" or "Gattaca". If you want to watch it I recommend you to wait it being presented on cable TV because you'll spend your money renting/buying the DVD.

Children of Men
(2006)

Great Movie
I like too much SciFi stories in apocalyptic future and this movie is a great example of it. The plot of this movie is very actual e not so difficult to happened, a mix of pandemic and xenophobes.

This movie has a quick rhythm that keeps the viewers turned on 220 volts since the start to the very end. The characters are very real and the actors play it very well.

It's a dark movie, with dark cloudy sky and dark places. It's very militarist and shows a totalitarist government that resembles very much to the famous Orwell's 1984.

I this this is one of the great movies of 2006 and it's from England, a proof that good movies can be made out of Hollywood. Worths the money for the theater ticket or the DVD rental.

The Wicker Man
(2006)

Not a good movie
I was really curious about this movie when I read about it on the web. The plot line looked very interesting and the presence of Nicholas Cage leads me to think that would be a good movie.

I'm just back from the theater and I'm really disappointed with this movie. The story is nice but the second half of the movie the main character looks more a scared middle age corporate worker than a cop. The end of the movie is just too plain and has no "wooo, nice" at all.

This is one of that movies I regret to have spent my money to watch it. I wouldn't use the DVD of it even to make a homemade kitchen wall clock. It's a total waste of money and time.

Rinne
(2005)

Not a good example of Asian horror movie
I really like this new wave of Asian horror movies. These movies are very interesting for using imagination and not special effects to scary the viewers.

I went to the movies anxiously to watch this movie but I must confess I think it's one of the worst Asian horror movies I ever watched. The plot is nice but the logic of the movie is weird. There is a lot of flashbacks, parallel stories and so on. It's very confusing and in the second half of the movie I spent more time trying to understand what was happening than really enjoying the movie itself. It's a shame that a good plot, actors and locations got lost for the excess of confusion.

The Devil Wears Prada
(2006)

You must watch this movie
I like very much this movie. It's that kind of cool New York high style comedy/drama with a great soundtrack.

The characters is very well built and have a lot of personality. Maryl Streep is great as Miranda, the "satanic" editor of the fashion magazine and Anne Hataway is cute just as Audrey Hapburne in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

I like too much the rhythm of the movie, it's fast, it's modern, it's like going to a cool dance club. Pay attention to the scene when Anne is walking from the street to the office and every cut shows her in a different clothing.

Horrors of War
(2006)

This movie is a horror itself
If you like class B WWII movies, you'll love this one.

It's a low budget WWII movie around a weak history full of clichés, lacking coherence a lot of times and very confusing other times. I think they could use a better history but they didn't it at all.

The production is very simple (I think they used the same farm or park for filming all the movie), makeup is a little more than basic (just some masks and basic "monster" makeup) and there is almost no special effects at all, just some basic CGI and computer altered frames.

OK, the movie is a class B one but I think the actors did a good job with the material they had to work.

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