rainking_es

Now, this is real cinematographic archeology!! Meliés was one of the very pioneers using a camera, and judging by what we see in his 8 minutes long "Voyage Dans la lune" he would'have been a great sci-fi director if only he had been born 40 or 50 years later.

A surrealistic and naive document for those who are interested in the history of the Seventh Art.

*My rate: 7/10

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This is a perfect and painful radiography of the breaking of a marriage, step by step. It leans on the superb work of Lena Endre -she's like the Swedish Meryl Streep-. Liv Ullman and Bergman (who wrote the script) capture every emotion, every state of mind. From passion to remorse, from love to the hatred provoked by jealousy.

Liv and Ingmar psychoanalyze infidelity and Lena Endre's character seems to be in front of a psychoanalyst. She undresses her soul and she lets herself go in such a way that's only within the best actresses reach.

"Trolosa" is tough and is intense. It's obviously a movie for adults, with a language rather literary but so real when it comes to talk about feelings and moral diatribes. Such a masterpiece and an amazing display of talent of an awesome actress.

*My rate: 9'5/10

A yakuza member is looking for his dead brother whose corpse has mysteriously disappeared. Miike turns that story into such a bizarre and oneiric content with lots of weird characters. There's much humor in "Gozu" but also lots of symbols that are quite difficult to interpret by the audience.

In "Gozu" Miike's not as violent as he use to be, but the're some scenes that shows that baroque sense of violent of the Japanese director. What to say about the final sequence!! One of the oddest one I've ever seen.

So, I didn't understand most of the movie and I think is too long (more than 2 hours), but it's definitely something different and personal. I'm sure David Lynch would like it so much.

*My rate: 5.5/10

Christopher leads a peaceful life in Denmark along with his wife. He owns a restaurant and she's an actress. But their lives soon will change after the suicide of Christopher's father. He'll be forced to take charge of his father's business.

"Arven" is an intense and exceptional drama about giving' up on what we want, about that unmerciful and cold world of the big corporations. The moral is quite clear: what do you want money and power for if you lose everything you really love? Per Fly's style is serious and sober, he can't deny he's from northern Europe, 'cause in his cinema there's the same coldness than in Von Trier's or Bergman's.

*My rate: 8/10

Even though is full of clichés "the wonders" is such a fresh and funny movie, optimistic and with a nice rhythm. Plus it's full of nice music (not only the hit "That thing you do") and the production design is as good as it's expected from a big studio product. It's impossible that you get boring watching it.

Maybe the way that Hanks portraits that rock and roll band is rather idealistic, but that's him: the king of the comedy for the family, the son of America. Anyway, I think he did a good job considering it was her first movie as director. Also one never gets tired of watching Liv Tyler's big smile. Too bad her c.v. is full of romantic comedies an stuff.

*My rate: 7/10

Rohmer strays from his usual portraits of french middle class to tell this costume drama about the difficulties of an aristocrat lady during the french revolution. What's more attractive about "La Anglaise..." (apart from the story itself) is the fabulous aesthetics that Rohmer has achieved. The images have been digitally decorated too make them look like baroque pictures. In some moments you can't really say whether your watching a movie or a series of pictures in Louvre Musseum. Every shot is like a piece of art.

*My rate: 7.5/10

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The guys there in Asia seem to be making the same mistakes that they've been making in Hollywood for years: if there's a movie that works and makes good money, such as "Ringu", they repeat it again and again; they change little details about the plot but in the end everything's just the same. A young girl who's died under strange circumstances comes back from the dead to send messages and scare people. Black hair everywhere, scary white ghosts, reflections in mirrors... the same gimmicks. "Phone" is kind of a cross between "What lies beneath" and "Lost call", and everything in it is a big deja-vu.

I won't deny that I jumped from my seat one or twice, but it's not the kind of movie I'd watch again.

*My rate: 4.5/10

Along with Eloy De La Iglesia's "Colegas", "Navajeros" or "El Pico", "Perros Callajeros" belongs to that group of movies from the early 80's that dealt with the life-facts of some typical small time thieves- Young boys that used to assault old women, steal cars, and smoke some marijuana... Most of them came from the suburbs of big cities such as Madrid or Barcelona.

So, "Perros calljeros" is not as raw and "ugly" as Eloy de la Iglesias' movies, it's kind of dogmatic and there are no professional actors here. It's nothing but a memory from a time that it looks so far away now, but actually this is the way Spain was less than 30 years ago.

My rate: 3/10

Daniel Johnston's life story is both moving and terrifying. It's so moving to see a person with such a terrible psychiatric condition to become sort of a music legend, to see how people everywhere has come to know him... But it's terrifying as well because all the horrible things he's been through (delusions, nervous breakdowns), he's been through a real hell, and at the end of the movie you barely can help to be moved.

Feuerzeig has made a sensitive and respectful portrait of Daniel's life. He's showed us clearly the evolution of Daniel from the day he as born till today: his limitless artistic talent, his hallucinations, his fight against the devil... He also puts clear that there was some people (from the music industry) that tried to use Daniel and after that they threw him like a used plastic bag. Fortunately nowadays Dniel has a peaceful live at his parent's home and he even makes some tour to give his music to people everywhere.

Thanks Daniel, and thanks Jeff for showing the world the lucidity of madness.

*My rate: 8/10

Penelope Spehhers' "Suburbia" is just like "The Goonies", but so boring and typical, and instead of a bunch of mid-class kids we got a bunch of homeless punk kids playing the neighborhood's bad guys. Maybe Sphheris wanted to make sort of a denounce of all those kids who live in the streets, but she just idealizes that way of life. Come on, this has nothing to do with REAL margination and poverty. The movie is just an excuse to show some punk rock bands playing and some scenes of street vandalism... and that's OK only if you do it in style, but this is not the case.

*My rate: 3/10

Nick Broomfield tries to clarify that absurd theory that says that Kurt Cobain was murdered. No one would actually believe that Kurt was killed because it is quite clear that his addiction and his depression killed him.

Anyway, Broomfield lets everyone to make their point, all those that defend the conspiration theory. But let me tell you, some of them, just like Courtney Love's father or that grotesque guy called The Duce are not reliable sources precisely.

Maybe Nick goes too far accusing Courtney. I mean, she's not Mother Theresa, but she isn't the root of all evil either. She's nothing but an arrogant and eccentric rockstar... just like most of people there in Hollywood.

Otherwise, "Who killed Kurt...?" has valious moments for all the fans of Kurt: early recordings, interviews with some of his relatives and childhood friends...

*My rate: 6/10

Harry Potter's saga goes on in a pretty good shape. New mysteries are revealed and the story approaches step by step to the final face to face between Harry and the Dark Lord. . As Potters grows up and becomes an adult so does the story, and now everything is darker and there's a bigger presence of evil and death.

David Yates has made a good job, just like Columbus or Cuarón did before. It seems that it does not matter that much who directs the movie 'cause Mrs. Rowling's plots are addictive enough by itself. You can't tell which movie of the saga is the best because you can see the seven movies (the five already released and the two to come) as a whole, just like The Lord Of The Rings or Star Wars first trilogy.

*My rate: 7/10

The lifestory of a mongolian family that live devoted to their camels. The camels give them milk, wool, and they're the center of their universe. They're happy with that ancient lifestyle , they don't need TV or electricity, they don't need cars...

"The Weeping Camel" is an outstanding documentary that shows things just the way they are. There's not a narrator, so we just see and hear what that family do or say. The landscapes of the Gobi desert are so overwhelming, and Mr. Davaa and his crew have portrayed it with such gentleness. The photography is really something.

A nice tribute to those people that live in communion with their animals and with nature. In a matter of speaking they're the last of the mohicans...

*My rate: 7/10

It's been a long time since I watched such an overwhelming display of imagination and creativity like the one Michael Gondry carries out in "The Science of Sleep". He merges reality and dreams, and expresses with images lots of oniric passages like no one had before. He's such an expert in dreams, no doubt about it, and a confirmed romantic. His movie is pure 21st century surrealism.

Gael García Bernal makes an outstanding performance speaking in languages that are not his mother tongue (English and French).

After "The eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" Gondry confirms that he's one of the most crazy and imaginative directors in the actual scene with this wonderful "Science of Sleep".

*My rate: 8/10

The story in "Sunshine State" begins with a woman who returns to this small town of Florida where she grew up. It's been a long time since she left and a lot of things have changed, even people have changed. We come to know several inhabitants of the place and their struggle to survive and the threaten of a construction company that wants to turn the town into some kind of resort with golf fields and swimming pools.

Sayles is a nice dialog writer and he's created some interesting characters, but his movie turns out to be a little bit long. In other words: he bit off more than he can chew. Maybe he could've made a TV series with this material, such like "Picket Fences" or "Northern Expsoure", 'cause it looks like he wanted to tell too many things in just one movie.

*My rate: 6/10

If Javier Balaguer wanted to make a denunciation of ill-treatment against women he should've filmed a documentary instead of this movie full of clichés, stereotypes, unreal dialogs and the awful performances of Paz Vega and Sergi Lopez. I didn't expect much of Vega, she's so bad -although no one seems to notice- but I've always liked Sergi Lopez and I must admit that his work in "Sólo Mía" leaves a lot to be desire. Maybe he was influenced -in a bad Way- by Paz, or maybe Javier Balaguer has not the faintest idea about actors direction.

So if you wanna see a decent movie about ill-treatment you'd better go and see Icíar Bollaín's "Te Doy Mis Ojos". That's a serious movie, and with top quality actors.

*My rate: 3/10

The story of a girl that caused the dead of his mother when she was a child. That will mark her whole life and her relationships. She lives obsessed by death.

"I am Dina" has a powerful and promising beginning, but as the story advances everything turns a little bit confusing. It looks like a second rate Bronte sisters tale, and it gets much worst as the ending approaches.

Not even that red-head beauty called Maria Bonnevie makes the movie a little more attractive. Boring (big time)

*My rate: 4/10

The people of a small town lost somewhere in Canada need to hire a Doctor in order to get a contract for the building of a factory. In the town there are only old fishermen that do not fish anymore, so it's so important for them to get that contract.

"La Grande..." it's a such a pleasant movie, it's tender and full of good vibrations. A comedy about eternal values that's been filmed with such good taste.

Those who liked the TV series "Northern Expossure" will sure enjoy this one.

*My rate: 7/10

Such a second rate sci-fi production made with a few dollars and with Pete Weller ("RObocop") as the only known face in the cast. It's based in a Philip K. Dick story, so it deals with artificial intelligence and stuff.

Anyway, it looks more like a "Outer Limits" episode than like a real movie. I guess they didn0t even take it to the cinemas. And even though the actors are not very good and the special effects aren't like "Matrix"'s precisely it's an entertaining product.

*My rate: 4.5/10

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Roeg uses in the best way the city of Venice, its narrow streets and its shadows in "Don't look now". Also Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie (what a wonderful woman) make a hell of a job, especially Sutherland... So, what's the matter? Everything looks set up for a nice intrigue, but the plot (as far as I can see) is totally meaningless. You don't know if you've missed some clues or if there are not such clues to be missed at all. "Don't look now" begins like a a typical drama involving the death of a young girl and for the next 70 minutes it does not happen anything remarkable... until we get to the ending sequences, where Roeg supposedly clarifies everything... not for me, Mr. Roeg!

*My rate: 5'5/10

Maybe these old "007 movies" has become a little self-parodic as time has gone by, maybe they look now a little kitsch, and is for sure that those movies were a little too chauvinistic... but the truth is that they were so damn funny, so entertaining, the perfect product to make the hours fly. And what about Sean Connery? No one has been or will ever be as charismatic as he was playing Bond, James Bond, in spite of his toupeé!!

The cold war was never as thrilling as in "From Russia with Love".

My rate: 7/10

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Avalon is a game, a virtual game that may kill you in real life. Sounds kind of familiar, right? You may think that this is nothing but a "Matrix" copy, but the truth is that it has its own aesthetic (so attractive and original) and even though I didn't understand anything I'm pretty sure that those who love online gaming, role games and stuff will like "Avalon". I mean, this must be just like porn for them!!

As I said before I gotta point out the look of the movie, the nebulous photography and the soundtrack... Oh, and Malgorzata Foremniak is gorgeous!!.

*My rate: 5'5/10

"Small time crooks" is just an average Woody Allen's comedy, so those who hate Woody's typical comedies will hate this one as well, and those fans of Woody's (I'm one of them) we'll get exactly what they was looking for. Woody plays a small time thief that gets rich thanks to his wife's talent for cooking cookies. All that gives raise to a bunch of crazy situations made-in-Woody-Allen and to tons of his totally brilliant dialogs. The portrait Woody makes of that couple of nouveau riches is just great... and what to say about Tracey Ullman's performance!! She's probably one of the funniest actresses of the last 25 years.

A Woody Allen movie.. take it or leave it!

*My rate: 7/10

No doubt about it: Rodriguez has seen hundreds of B movies, and he do knows what he's dealing with. That does not make him a genius (like many people think) but gives him enough skills to film a movie with zombies, with lots of humor, action... and so funny. Also he counts with one of the sexiest woman in Hollywood nowadays: Miss Rose McGowan.

So, it's quite clear that "Planet terror" is a damn entertaining product (Have I said already how sexy is MacGowan??? Can't hardly wait to see her in more "seious" projects).

+My rate: 6/10

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One of the most brilliant Woody Allen's 90s' pictures, such a mockery of the "beautiful people" with some traces of a romantic comedy and some reflexions about couple troubles made in Woody. But there's an objection and that's Kenneth Brannagh. He's a great actor (no doubt about it) but in "Celebrity" you can't help thinking that he's imitating the character that Woody should've played. It's quite clear that Woody wrote this for himself, but he was too old to play a man that conquers Winona Ryder or Famke Janssen.

Last but not least, what about Judy Davis?? God, she's magnificent, one of the best actresses ever, and that scene with the prostitute is totally hilarious. Woody should've married her instead of Mia 30 years ago!!

So, if Woody would've played the role that eventually played Brannagh this could've been one of his best works. But Brannagh is not Woody, and that's noticeable.

*My rate: 7/10