Jonas Kyratzes

I quite liked the Resident Evil games. They were scary and highly atmospheric. Not *excellent* games, but still very good. This film, on the other hand, is horrible. I think the main problem is that no-one takes computer games (interactive art, to me) seriously. "Oh, it's just a computer game!" most people think. But computer games have come a long, long way since the times of Pacman and Tetris. Many computer games have deep, compelling storylines, great atmosphere, and can stand shoulder to shoulder with other works of art. Computer games are not all action. That's a very very wrong perception that way too many people share. Resident Evil is not an action game. Therefore, the film based upon it should logically not be an action film. And yet it is. And on top of that, it's an action film with horribly cheap and boring action sequences. The film is bad on so many levels that I can't even describe it. The camerawork is a disaster. Far too many closeups, combined with horrible editing, give us a sense of complete confusion. Not only that, half the time it's impossible to tell what exactly is happening, because the movie doesn't show it. If you're making an action film, that's a really really bad idea. But this movie suffers from even more problems. The writing sucks, and despite the presence of a couple of good actors, the characters are just not interesting. The structure of the plot is terrible - there is barely any increase in tension, people just get butchered the one after the other. The climax is also nothing special at all. What's even worse, the movie does not convey a sense of place or of a logical sequence of events. In one scene the characters are fighting a ton of zombies (which look ridiculous) and in the next they're in an entirely different room, without the movie having told us how they actually got there. The movie is lacking in structure. The music... I shouldn't even mention it. I know that many people today enjoy listening to music which consists of three sounds being looped, but for a horror movie, this is the wrong soundtrack. The sets were actually quite good, but I don't think they were right for this movie. They should've set it in a mansion, and made it gothic. That works so much better for horror movies. And they stole a scene from Cube, which was a much better movie (and not a horror movie). I guess this movie is to the games what Hypercube is to Cube: something that has a plot which somehow slightly resembles the original, but was created by people who didn't understand what the original was about. Terrible. I was willing to give director Paul W.S. Anderson another chance, despite his movie Event Horizon being absolutely abysmal, but after this - forget it. It's not even worth renting on DVD.

I've read pages of reviews about this movie, and it seems that everyone loves it. Well, I don't. I really love most of Burton's films (Sleepy Hollow being my favorite), but this movie is just plain awful. The so-called humor is more than just terrible. It's scary that people find this funny. It is the most braindead thing I have ever seen in my life. Everybody is going on and on about how positive and nice this movie is, but I find it fake and disgusting.

So sue me.

***SPOILERS***

Cube 2 is a very mediocre movie, and that for several reasons. First of all, the character interaction is not developed enough. The effects are good, yes, but they are not really used in an interesting way most of the time. The premise of a four-dimensional cube is very interesting and could be used in amazing ways, but most of the time it's just "it's coming to kill us, run!". There are a few original spots, but they're not enough. Thus, as a movie on its own, it is not very good.

But wait. It's called Cube 2, right? It's a sequel. And what about the first Cube? Well, the first Cube was pure genius. They tried to copy it here and add a new dimension (sorry for the pun), but they completely missed the point of the first cube. They gave all the characters a connection, a reason for being there. They gave the Cube a meaning. But the meaning of the first movie is precisely the opposite: THE CUBE HAS NO MEANING! It's not SUPPOSED to have one! Why? Because the Cube in the first movie is a symbol of the system we live in, and the movie shows us how we are all stuck in a pointless trap that kills us and makes us fight against each other, without reason, because someone designed it for some reason, which has been forgotten, and they just kept on using it because it was there, because it was in the papers. The Cube is pointless, that's the point. The people who made Cube 2 thought that the first movie was just about a bunch of people trapped in a bunch of rooms with a bunch of traps. Well, I'm sorry, but the first movie was so much more than that, and you just DIDN'T GET IT.

Rating: 3/10 for some clever ideas and a couple of good actors

'Rabbit-Proof Fence' is truly an amazing movie, despite what some of the more foolish reviewers are saying. There really aren't any words to do it justice. The actors are great and portray their characters in a very realistic and multidimensional way. The cinematography is beautiful, and the music fascinating. But the most amazing part of this movie is the true story of these children that walked 1500 miles to get back home. The entire movie is a testament both to human bravery and to human foolishness - our great sins and our great virtues. What is done to these children is horrible; what they manage to do is incredible. I mean, 1500 miles .... can you imagine that? Oh, I should stop babbling. The film is great.

Thirteen Ghosts is a most mediocre movie. Special effects, make-up and production design are great, I must say, and both Tony Shalhoub and Matthew Lillard do a great job. The other actors are OK, with the exception of Rah Digga, who is absolutely horrible. The script, which appears to be interesting at first, turns out to be disappointingly unoriginal; the ending is particularly bad. What the entire movie is missing is a climax - it just isn't going anywhere. And while the sets are very impressive, cinematography and editing are a complete and utter disaster. All these horrible quick cuts and flashes make the movie tiring and take the 'scary' element out of it, because you can never 'get into' the movie.

Now, it's not bad. It's just nothing special. And I find it very disappointing when I think about what a director like Fincher could have done with it.

Chasing Sleep is one of the best movies I've seen lately. Its creepy, disturbing atmosphere is as good as anything David Lynch has ever done. The lighting and camerawork are beyond incredible. Very slow, well-paced, gentle on the eyes, and still disturbing and powerful. The acting is subtle and very convincing. I wish Jeff Daniels would get more roles like this one. He's a great actor. The other actors in this movie are good, too. The script is fascinating and definitely makes you think, without using any tired plot devices and clichés.

One thing that I particularly liked about the movie is that it never gets boring, not even for a second. This is quite rare, especially in a movie that is so slow.

10/10

Romanoff and Juliet is one of the best movies I've seen, and had me laughing out loud most of the time. It is both a lighthearted comedy and an excellent satire of both the US and the Soviet Union. A very intelligent and deep satire, at that, which gets just about everything right. Peter Ustinov is very likeable and extremely funny in his role, but so are all the other actors. A true gem. 10/10

I'm not going to say a word about the plot or the characters. If you haven't seen the movie and don't know the plot, close the browser window you're looking at, shut down your computer, go to the video store, get the movie, go home, and watch it. Then watch it again. It's that good. In fact, it's propably one of the best movies I've seen. Listen to me. Go get it.

... but most people will hate this movie. Hotel is weird. no. It's not just weird - it's über-weird. And yet fascinating, captivating, full of genius that few people will be able to appreciate. Fantastic camerawork that demonstrates that digital cameras can very well be the future, or at least part of it. Some truly brilliant ideas and some great jokes, especially if you know a few things about Dogme movies. And great perfomances.

If you're into arthouse movies and interested in film itself (and not just the stories, but the medium itself), give it a shot. If not, this movie is not for you.

The only reason I wanted to watch this movie was Kiefer Sutherland. He had greatly impressed me with his brilliant performance in Dark City, and I wanted to see more. As it turned out, the entire movie was pretty good. The story is not too original, but it's got plenty of twists and a very interesting main character. The acting is very good, especially Sutherland's. The movie is well-directed and not boring at all. the music is good, too. Recommended.

Let me explain a few things. I love science fiction. I love the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov etc etc. I love movies and I don't mind long or slow movies. And I'm a great fan of Kubrick. Movies like A Clockwork Orange and The Shining are brilliant. But 2001: A Space Odyssey is truly a bad movie. Why? It has no point. It has no story. It is badly directed. All this movie does is show off Kubrick's ability to create nice 'pictures'. Sure, the effects are nice, and some scenes inside the spacecraft are brilliantly made. But all this movie has are tons of effects and NO STORY, NO POINT. I like metaphors and I'm not stupid, but I don't see the point of this film. This is a film about special effects. Don't waste your time watching this movie. Instead buy 'Rama' or 'Childhood's End' (yes, these are books) and read them. Now THAT's science fiction.

Everything about this series sucks. It is simply awful. The characters are flat and badly acted. The story is ridiculous and has nothing to do with history or mythology. In fact, is is really offensive how much they screwed around with Greek mythology. What really bothers me is that they wasted so much money on making such a peace of absolute nonsense instead of creating a really good fantasy series.

This collection of videos is just like everything else R.E.M. produces - weird, but good. Most of the videos are nice, and Man on the Moon is very good. The video that deserves special mention, however, is Crush with Eyeliner. Directed by Spike Jonze -who later directed the brilliant movie Being John Malkovich- it simply has to be seen to be believed. The only thing that's missing are interviews. I would've loved some interviews. If you're a fan of REM, you will enjoy Parallel.

The Arrival was, in my humble opinion, a great movie. I really really liked it - the acting, the story, the effects, the message ... a wonderful movie. So of course when I heard about the Second Arrival, I immediately got it on video. Big mistake. I never should've watched the movie. It disappointed me very much. It had *nothing* from the original movie. The acting was, to say the least, pathetic. The story was even worse. They took elements from the first movie and totally ruined them. The message was gone, too. The aliens, which were fascinating in the first movie, were nothing but boring bad guys. And claiming that Zane Zaminski had died was totally ridiculous. Everything was so unfitting that it makes you wonder if the creators of the second movie had actually watched The Arrival or just been told about it by an old friend. Everything about this movie was horrible. I don't understand why this movie was made; it has no point. I suggest you stay away from it if you liked The Arrival.

Jim Jarmusch has always been one of my favorite directors, and I also happen to be a fan of Neil Young's music. I found this documentary very interesting and well-made. I suppose that it's not for everybody, though. Jarmusch can be a little strange at times (I like that, but other people might not).

I'm not sure why so many people hated this movie. I guess because it's not particularly serious, or because of its clever sense of humor. This movie is not full of nude sex-addicted women and muscular ultra-cool men; I guess a lot of people want that sort of stuff in their movies. I, however, do not. I truly enjoyed this movie. It was funny and clever and well-made. Uma Thurman is absolutely stunning. I knew she was pretty, but in this movie she is incredible. The other actors are quite good, too. All in all, a movie for people with an odd (or British) sense of humor and fans of Uma Thurman.

Dead Man is propably the best movie Jim Jarmusch ever made. From the very first moment it draws you into its own strange world and never lets go. The music by Neil Young is haunting and unforgettable (I even bought the soundtrack) and the cinematography is also totally amazing. Jarmusch has surpassed himself this time. The actors are also great, but what did you expect? I've never seen a Jarmusch movie with bad acting. As for the story... it's strange, but great. Sort of a metaphysical/symbolic western. You'll love it, especially if you're a fan of William Blake, like I am. I don't want to reveal too much, just believe me when I tell you it's brilliant. I could rant about this movie for hours, it's that good.

I don't know why so many people dislike this film.I thought it was excellent. Not only was the acting great, the movie also had a wonderful and very clever story that really intrigued me. The best thing about the movie is Samuel Jackson, giving the most chilling performance of his career so far.

Evil communists attacking good Americans, who fight heroically until the very end.How obvious that this is a Cold War propaganda movie.And, as propaganda movies go, it's quite a bad one.How sad to see that Charlie Sheen, an actor who can do so much more, is to be found in movies like this one.I'm amazed at the fact that some people can take this movie seriously; any thinking person would realize how ridiculous this movie is. Definitely not recommended, unless you want to see how silly some people can be.

I expected K-Pax to be a good movie, but still I was stunned by how great it was.I could say that there are no mistakes in the movie.Everything is perfect.The music and photography are amazing and create a wonderful mood.From the very moment the movie began, I was hooked.I couldn't look away.

Kevin Spacey proves that he is one of the greatest actors that have ever lived (IMHO, the greatest).His performance as Prot is awe-inspiring.Jeff Bridges is also great.He is an actor that I really respect.

Another amazing thing about this movie is its story.It's brilliant.You never know what is going to happen.It is not predictable AT ALL.It keeps you guessing all the time. All in all, this movie is beautiful.Simply beautiful.