Reviews

Well, the word of mouth has been consistently pro "Dogtooth" so, having great expectations for the film, I could be nothing less but disappointed after watching it… "The pussy was turned off and the room fall into darkness". This quote invented by the mother could be the epitome of "Dogtooth". Distortion is systematic. Zombies are yellow flowers while young flowers turn into zombies. It's nothing but a question of definition as far as definitions do not distort the balance of this imaginary, yet somehow applied reality. Something like the boy sitting next to me in this internet café while I'm typing these words, captured in his "Mafia Wars" reality. The parents of this boy sitting next to me, are presumably not rich enough to afford to built a false and consistently deceptive world, an expensive shelter, in order to "protect" their children from the malice of reality, so they let their boy on his own… Are they more indifferent or simply more honest to themselves comparing to the "Dogtooth" parents? Well, ask Mr. Balboa, not me…And then as a sequence of what one would call "crime and punishment", "a nobody" who –unluckily- is so fond of oral sex, an "instrumentum vocale" hired by the father-master to cover some basic needs of the family, becomes the catalyst for the forced fulfillment, the broken dogtooth and the untraceable blood… Worth seeing only if you have not read all these dithyrambic reviews...

P.S. Rumor has it that "Dogtooth" could be a qualified for the "Best Foreign Film" nomination of the American Academy, but the "dead" cat was not realistic enough to help this nomination! Wouldn't you say?

Unbelievable! If you are a Tarantino-style fun you don't want to miss this film. Every scene spouts paranoid violence so coincident with the human condition! The peripety is breath taking until the last second, puzzling you about the sort of drags director and writer Wayne Kramer was using when he was working with the ...script! All the characters, the main character, his wife, the boys, the Russian step father, the pimp, the cups, the mobs are nicely integrated into the story. The opening scene is "wow" while the penultimate brought tears into my eyes and this is something that happens very, but very rarely to me! With only a few tiny flops in the story and a great cinematography that you have no alternative but to enjoy, is a film of its genre, I haven't enjoyed since the time of the "Reservoir Dogs". Thumps up!

This is the story of Giorgos, an ex-convict who has spent more than fifteen years in prison, sentenced for a crime of honor, and Strella, a transsexual call girl. The opening scene, as Giorgos kisses good-bye his cellmate, is when the viewer is prepared for macho-looking Giorgos' sexual orientations or –if you want- his upcoming "tolerance" to the fact that Strella is not a common girl. Giorgos wouldn't possibly react the way Fergus reacted in Neil Jordan's "Crying Game". As Giorgos is set free to "live his myth" in the dirty city, walking among the human and the urban garbage, one can smell the urine in the narrow mean streets, downtown Athens. Soon, as Giorgos attempts to find more about the whereabouts of his long lost son, one suspects that the film is intended to be a modern version of a Greek tragedy, except it will not be, because Strella knows better! Fortunately, "deus ex machina" will not be required. Humans ought to deal with their issues by themselves, this time. The supporting characters are never becoming grotesque despite the fact that they are queer and that Death is flirting with them throughout the film. Even Strella's impersonation of Maria Callas in its falseness has a bizarre dignity and proves to be a successful tightrope walking mainly –in my opinion- because it has nothing in common and at any time with any of the Almodόvar's transvestite characters. All in all, "Strella" is a worth seeing film and one of those every so often moments the Greek cinematography surprises pleasantly.

One being familiar with the –in many aspects- minute Greek cinema can't possibly ignore a new film by Pantelis Voulgaris, a predominant figure in the Modern Greek Cinematography. "Psihi Vathia" i.e. "Deep (Courageous) Soul", is a film about two brothers finding themselves in opposite sides during the Greek civil war which, by the way, left ineradicable marks in the modern Greek history as well as in the modern Greek mythology, a civil war that followed the end of WWII. Voulgaris has been accused by some critics that in his honest effort to propose his own version of reconciliation (good guys and bad guys are in both sides) he finds himself trapped in a swamp of melodrama… Personally, I agree that the accusation is fair. Remember the young soldier dying with his mind and last thought in his 40 drachmas' debt (!!!). The battle scenes are perhaps more that what Voulgaris' budget could afford but there is some beautiful woods cinematography which, indeed, does not save the day. Some tried to compare "Psihi Vathia" with "El laberinto del fauno" by Guillermo del Toro . An unfortunate comparison, because, sadly,Voulgaris this time does not manage –as he did with his wonderful but underrated "Nyfes" (Brides)- to score

Yes! Renos Haralambidis' work is always constructively destructive and enjoyable...

"Cheap Smokes" is another version of "No Budget Story" or "The Heart of the Beast".

Critics could say that he is repeating the narration of his life story (or the life story of a friend) but in my opinion he is demonstrating again his ability to cope with a low budget to produce a cinematography that is not cheap. I have seen the film 24 hours ago and I am still laughing with the picture of the face of the self blow-jobber's mother as entering into his room!

Congrats! I give an 8 out of 10 for "Cheap Smokes"

His advanced studies in philosophy have caused Stephanos to view all people as his inferiors. When he is discharged from the -obligatory in Greece- army service, he thinks the world belongs to him. In reality all that does belong to him are debts left by his mother who has just died and rejection by his formerly devoted girlfriend. Nikos, an old high school classmate, reappears in his life.

I Kardia Tou Ktinous (Heart of the Beast), is a movie of this guy next door, except that his friend Nikos is probably not...

Personally I am fond of the work of Renos Charalambidis because his ideas usually result to fresh scenarios, while his cinematography is also decent...

Another Day in Paradise is not the story of your life, it is not the story of my life.

It is the story of Bonnie and Clyde at their early forties…

They are junkies by now and they can't have children so they adopt a young fresh couple and they give them a place in their life.

They become family…

Things go wrong, of course...

I loved the moment when this Clyde / Mel guy punches his Bonnie / Sid in the face for a reason…

This film is an excellent choice for a rainy Sunday evening at home

Well, we spent two pleasant hours... Nothing special. I believe this was not the movie an Iron Man Fun would have been waiting for... Better than nothing, though. OK, Downey may not the biggest name in Hollywood, he plays the part adequately and he portrayed Iron Man well. I would like to see more of Jeff Bridges... The Arabs are a must, of course, but why in Afghanistan? None of them looked like Osama Bin Laden!

The humor works well although nothing remains to remember. I kept thinking of the superiority of Robocop.

Iron Man's funs could think differently, but... hey ...the guy did not kiss the girl... Is this part of the correctness of the new USA of Mr. Bush?

"Huit Femmes" begins with a close up of flowers and some very Henry Mancini-like music in the opening credits, announcing each and every one of the fabulous eight female leads. Deliberately fake snow together with an astonishing ensemble cast, charming soundtrack [ a musical version of Agatha Christie's spirit?] Fanny Ardant's musical number probably pays homage to Rita Hayworth's glove-strip in 'Gilda'; This French murder mystery unravels, much like the light tone that Alfred Hitchcock took with "North By Northwest" but do not expect any rational consistency. Just sit comfortably and enjoy the effects of the smashing casting.

Johnny Maniatis, the main character, reflects genuinely his Greek origin, trying to balance his existence between the triumph and the catastrophe, the riches and impoverishment, the utter happiness and the deep depression. Today, as usual, he'll try to skip all those responsibilities arising from his long relationship; while flirting any female crossing his way, he would manage to delude his creditors and clients of the advertising firm he is running while his mind will be jumping from time to time to that 19 year old daughter of his with the declining behavior, while by the end of the day he will let his credit cards help him spending his evening with small innocent luxuries he cannot afford. Today, things turn out differently though… Do not omit to grab it once you see it on the Video Club ledge; it is a comedy, or a drama if you like that will let you smile quite a few times during these 100 minutes, especially if you are Greek or someone familiar with the modern Greek mentality.

I consider myself a cinephil; not a cinema freak but at least a person who does not sleep when watching movies other than Hollywood bang-gang-do-sex things; I am outrageous (!!!) not with the director (every one has the right of his "artistic" opinion, provided that there are fellows eager to waste their time and money) but with the sado-masochists programming this film for the 5th Cluj-Napoca TIFF. The most unfairly 107 minutes spent in my life… Zero-Zero-Zero…

P.S. I am rating with one but if the webmaster decide to make the mistake to watch this movie the voting will include the zero value too in the future layouts

The film premiered today 2-6-06 at Cluj 5th International Film Festival. I were there… It is not I'm a cine-freak, but I love cinema. After the triumph (Camera d'Or prize) in Cannes of a practically inexistent Romanian filmography, we all were curious about Mr. Corneliu Porumboiu. Well-done Mr. Porumboiu… I should give you a ten, for proving to our fellow -constantly complaining- European fellows that one can make a good film with just a good scenario and without billions of Euros… I have to take away one point because only Almodovar, out of the leaving ones deserves 10, and a second point because,unfortunately your beautiful scenario would not easily strike audiences unfamiliar with the average Romanian. Yet, I did enjoy it and I want to thank you. Please continue your good work