Reviews

This movie is really a delight, and one of the surprises of the season for yours truly. It's completely different from everything Kitano has done in his movies, and it's closer to his weird style of TV- humor,which was pretty famous even here in Italy in the early '90s. KNN is a comedy, very hilarious sometimes. Kitano, assuming a Buster Keaton mask, is a great actor, and so is Sekiguchi in the role of Masao, the kid. You could call it a Road movie, since the odd pair embark on a journey to find Masao's mom, finding a whole slate of weirdoes with a heart of gold. As a said, a delightful surprise. Go see it. Rating:8

I'm not sure this movie will be released where you're reading this comment,but if it is, please,go and see it. you have to. Be prepared though: It's very intense and disturbing, and when it is over you will feel dirty, soiled,shocked. This is a film about Argentina under the Military regime of the late '70s. This is a movie about the desaparecidos, Argentinian citizens kidnapped from their homes from the police and the military,tortured and imprisoned to extort information from them and then, finally, killed, most of the times thrown in the ocean from a plane while doped. Their crime? Trying to fight this regime. The film is almost perfect:great screenplay,great cast,great direction. Essential viewing. For more than one reason. Rating:9

That's the last line you hear in the movie, and, well, it sums up the entire film pretty nicely. TGM never ends. It's definitely too long,and a better editing would have made the movie a favour. As it is , it's an accurate adaption of a King novel that wasn't much cop in the first time. I understand sticking to the original source,but was it all so necessary?? The supporting cast is very good,especially Percy and Brutal,and there are 2 or 3 moments that remain with you - the 1st electrocution scene, for example. But all in all, TGM is too little coming from the director of a marvellous movie such as THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Rating:5

Pixar's on the rise. I must admit, there was a time once where I was skeptical about digital animation feature films: being a cartoon nut, i thought that digital animation was a threat to good old toons, representing the triumph of form over substance. Boy, did they prove me wrong... Over these past years we've seen some astounding examples of digital animation movies,balancing the right mixture of technology with a good story and cast, and TS2 is no exception. The film has everything. It's a sight to see(never has DA reached such great heights)a great cast,with some fine additions, Joan Cusack and the Newman guy,for example,and a nice story. It's entertaining for the kids and for the young at heart. Good work! Rating:7

Boy... Usually I don't go for sentimental-weepy dramas: I just don't like that genre, thank you. I went to see CHR because I HAD to - nudge, nudge, wink, wink - and, well, even after all these years I STILL don't like sentimental dramas. It's not a bad movie if you like weepies. The lead is good, and the scenes at the orphanage are sweet enough. But still... Maybe it's just me, but I really cannot see why this movie occupies n.245 in the IMDB top 250. Rating:5

I knew this was no ordinary action/war movie - this is why I decided to see it - but I didn't expect something as good as this! Especially in the 1st part of the movie, everything works perfectly, then it slows down a little, and the ending is a tad too Hollywood-ish, but, man what a ride. What I liked about TK is its very dark humor, and the courage the filmmakers have in showing what EXACTLY the gulf war was really about.

In short, one of the surprises of the season. Rating=8

I don't know, maybe it's just me, I expected another kind of film. What I thought this was all about was another study in the inexplicable nature of Love. The movie is partly about this, and partly a dream-like journey in the search of Luck. After the first half-hour,which is very,very good,quirky,funny,touching,the film loses it, everything remains pleasant enough,but really nothing special, I'm afraid... What I liked about FSLP,and was quite taken by surprise,was Vanessa Paradis. Not only she's achingly beautiful - but we knew this already,didn't we? - but she's very good as well: her initial monologue left me quite stunned.. Other things I liked:1)Daniel Auteuil - Always heard of him, but never saw anything with him, until today. He is very, very good. 2)The relationship existing between the 2 leads - They're distant,yet so close...3)The Cinematography - the movie is shot in b&w, quite nice indeed One more thing:we soon understand that for the 2 characters the act of knife-throwing is kinda like having sex. Fine, I thought, that's an interesting idea. But the director works upon this too much,and it rapidly becomes boring. In short, not a bad film, the 2 leads are quite wonderful, but I expected something else. Rating:6

Confession time: this is one of the most frightening movies ever made. At least for yours truly. Without a doubt this is Argento' s finest, even better than PROFONDO ROSSO. Everything here in the film, from the actors to the direction, the colours, the music, everything has only one task: Scare you to death. And this is accomplished quite easily! SUSPIRIA contains some of the most frightening and violent death scenes ever. I remember watching the movie for the first time in the '80s when I was a wee lad thinking THEY CAN'T DO THAT while, actually,well,they just did.. Quite a few sleepless nights over this. In short, if you're a horror movie buff, you have to watch this movie. Then you'll be hooked forever.. Truly, really, they don't make'em like this anymore. Rating:8

Right. This was more or less what I expected. I hoped to find an hidden gem,but all I got was a stylish shooter largely influenced by movies like HARD BOILED (John Woo is in fact one of the producers of TRP, and we have Mr.Cool himself, Chow Jun-Fat as the lead). What saved the movie from being a boorrrinng action movie were these 4 things: 1) Chow Jun-Fat: maan, he oozes charisma and screen presence from every pore. In his 1st US movie he plays the same role for which he is famous in his homeland: the troubled hitman. And he's great! 2) Mira Sorvino: I liked what the authors did. Hell, her role HAD to be that of the mega-babe,right. And a gorgeous mega-babe we have, of course. But tough as nails. Must have been fun for her playing this role. Dumb, but fun 3) The very stylish photography and colors: It's all very fast and quite stupid, but sometimes beautiful to watch. 4)The last 10 minutes: this is where the movie redeems itself. The final showdown is the high of the flick-fast,furious and exciting. If only the rest of the movie had been the same,we could have had a contender. What we have is quite a decent shooter,instead. Rating:5

I read the novel a year or so ago. The story seemed intriguing enough, but, while an entertaining read, it was nothing special, sorry. I saw the movie today. The story seemed intriguing enough,but, while an entertaining flick, it was nothing special, sorry. Just exactly what is wrong and what isn't with this film? The first hour is almost great,right from the very first shot. It's all very stylish, colourful,with an excellent cinematography.The Carlyle cameo is very good, the female lead is pretty wonderful, Tilda Swinton plays Sal in exactly the way I expected the character to be, and DiCaprio is not everywhere. There are flaws here and there, of course:the screenplay doesn't follows the original story too much,Leo almost gets the girl-or should I say girls?-but all in all everything's shaping up quite nicely. Then everything goes wrong,and the last 30-40 minutes are almost embarrassing, from a gung-ho Leo to the confrontation with the drug dealers-completely different to what happens in the movie-to the final escape. Here,the movie loses its balance, It's Leo,Leo,Leo everywhere, and it all goes downhill. Too bad. Still, there are some beautiful moments, the cast is pretty nice, the soundtrack is fabulous,but it could have been much much better. Rating:6 Oh, and DiCaprio is not THAT great an actor, ok?

This is one of those films where the plot matters only to a certain degree. Everything centers on the character played by Stamp-which is wonderful,by the way-and his avenging quest. Stamp IS the movie, actually,with his marked brit accent (there's a scene involving him and a DEA man which left me laughing like crazy) and he has the physyque-du-role for his part. It has to be said that visually the movie is a sight for sore eyes. This ,together with the wonderful lead,makes watching THE LIMEY rewarding. Sadly the plot lacks a bit of direction... Rating:6

...and finally, we get to see the blair witch in Italy! Thanks to the unrelenting hype the movie is doing GREAT at the box office, but almost everyone hates it. Why? They were expecting a conventional horror movie with its quick fix of gore and shivers. BWP is a different thing:at first it left me completely cold. I liked the idea behind the project,but found it over-hyped. Then, a few hours later the full force of the film hit me like a bullet train. I was at a gig when I finally understood the final moments of the film:man, i felt goosebumps all over my body! And then, and then:other scenes,other moments jostle in my mind for attention since the day I saw this movie... watching the BWP is a very disturbing experience. Go see it not expecting your run-of-the-mill movie,but something different, something special... Rating:8

I found it a bit disappointing. There are great moments -the funeral or the dance party for example- but as a whole I came out of the theater pretty unimpressed. Still, you have to remember that it first came out in 1965,and what happens in the movie must have chilled the Italian public of that time. Rating;6

I normally don't go to a Romance Drama movie.They're not my cup of tea,so to speak. I decided to go see this one because it seemed something different. It's not. The story's too schmaltzy for your own good. But visually it's pretty stunning. This LA full of angels dressed in Armani-black really is something.This is why I'm caught in the middle. Rating:5

2 things that will haunt me for a while about this movie:a whirling plastic bag and the look in a girl's eyes as seen from a digital camera. This movie is high class.That it comes from a major is quite astonishing. Almost perfect.Great acting.Great script.Great direction. Rating:9

Ok,listen up,with these people involved you expect no less than an excellent film,right? Well then,you'll be disappointed. This doesn't mean 'BUTD' is a bad movie,oh no:visually it's quite stunning,the actors give a first-rate performance (Tom Sizemore,above all),it's just that...I don't know. I probably expected the greatest thing since sliced bread and all I got was a good movie. IT's probably my fault! 7

I just finished watching this movie for the 2nd time. The first time was when it came out in 92 at my local theater. Now it was on a movie channel as part of a show called CORSO CINEMA (Cinema 101) where movie critics select what they think are fine examples of cinema art,and introduce the movies with their opinions and all. It's quite a different view from all the hostile comments I found here.. Ok,TOYS is not perfect,but visually it's stunning(all the toys,the set design,beautiful,really)and the story is not half bad. My personal rating would be a 7,if you're interested..

Do yourself a favour: don't miss this film. If you do,you will miss one of the best films about love and romance ( and dysfunctional people,I might add) I've seen in the last few years. One more time for the world: If it ever comes close to where you are, don't miss this film,ok?OK.

Ok. this movie's OK. But this not what it was supposed to be,is it? I waited for months for it to be released in Italy, waiting to see something dazzling and.. well,frankly,it's not much cop.

The effects are awesome,the plot isn't. When the first seeds of revolution and change in a perfect world are brought by a slutty teenage girl,you know you're in for a long night.

Still,not a bad film. Joan Allen is extraordinary. Jeff Daniels isn't. What did you expect?

Rating:6

Ok, this is not,as stated on the cover of this month's Uncut 'The most disturbing US movie since Seven'(That would be Happiness).But it comes pretty close.

Of course It's not perfect - The Dino Velvet character is just too over the line, and some of the settings are too Goth/industrial/NiN to be true - but as a whole I really enjoyed it.