Notes

I saw this movie a long time ago - October 2003. "Dogville" is those type of movies that offers to multiple interpretations. I had one. My friends had another one. I'm not going to explain my viewing about this movie since I don't want to write spoilers. I'll just say that "Dogvile" is a tale, everything has a meaning. It's a cry of rage against Humanity or even against America (as some people prefer to say). It features a brilliant performance from Nicole Kidman. Patricia Clarkson is completely unforgettable, in a tour-de-force performance that will remain (for me) as absolutely one of the best supporting performances of all-time. However "Dogville" takes itself too seriously and in the end becomes extremely pretentious and disturbing. It's a movie that I admire but I really can't like it.

C+

The Passion of the Christ

"The Passion of the Christ" tells the story about the last years of Jesus Christ's "life". Controversy and personal believes aside, "The Passion of the Christ" is dramatically intense and powerful moving, regardless of how you feel about the movie's message. I agree that some of violence is too much and that the movie is incredibly manipulative but aren't them all? In a cinematic point of view I call "The Passion of the Christ" almost a masterpiece. It features a brilliant score and powerful performances from Jim Caviezel and Maia Morgenstern (both worthy of Oscar nominations). It is clearly a personal triumph for Mel Gibson.

50 First Dates

First I need to say that I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies so I saw this with the lowest expectations. And that's probably why I loved it. After many epics and heavy dramas I really needed some light stuff. And that was exactly "50 First Dates". The story is really good and different from the usual romantic comedies. It could even been worked as a drama. Drew Barrymore completely shines here and shows once again that she is the coolest actress around. Of course "50 First Dates" isn't a movie for Oscars but it is sweet, touching and hilarious.

Kill Bill Vol. 2

"Kill Bill Vol.1" was the most pleasant surprise of 2003. A really entertaining piece of art - choreographed fights, funny dialogues, great music - the coolest movie of the year. My expectations for the 2nd Volume were high and it completely lived it up to them. Uma Thurman adds this time an emotional and very touching side to the Bride's character, giving the best performance of her career so far. She shouldn't be forgotten by Oscar time. Although the movie dragged a bit in the middle, "Kill Bill" (both volumes) is a masterpiece, a piece of art that will remain in our minds.

Troy

I still remember the review that I posted in the previous layout where I claimed how much I loved this movie. I regret for that. After 2 more viewings "Troy" completely dragged. One of the things that I always agreed is that this is only "inspired" in the Illiad. It's very very fram from being a loyal adaptation of the greek classic. But that wasn't a problem, at least for me. Brad Pitt is completely miscast and if I didn't know him from other I'd have said that he was just casted based on his physic. Orlando Bloom didn't do anything - he was just... him. The only two performances worthy of mention are Eric Bana (his best performance so far) and Peter O'Toole in an incredibly touching small performance. The cinematography and the technical achievement are also very good. In the end "Troy" results as simply as a Summer Blockbuster and not (very far from it) an Oscar movie.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

After months of anticipation I finnally had the big big pleasure of seeing the latest Charlie Kaufman's movie - "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". After gems like "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" the bar was high. And once more Kaufman prooved that he is the most original and probably best screenwriter working today. A genious. "Eternal Sunshine..." is simply the best love story of the last years. Jim Carrey should finnally receive an Oscar for his best performance so far. Kate Winslet shined once again with a completely different performance. The score, the editing, the direction - everything makes this movie a brilliant and unforgettable experience. I just hope that the members of the Academy don't "erase" this movie from their heads when the awards season begins. A Masterpiece!

The Day After Tomorrow

I don't have much to say about this one. I usually love "disaster movies" - a guilty pleasure for me. "The Day After Tomorrow" has probalby the best visual effects of all them and it definetely deserves an Oscar for them. That's the only reason I gave this movie a C. Despite the great visual effects and the interesting plot, "TDAT" has the most laughable lines, dialogues and characters. Some scenes (like the one with the purse of the immigrant) are completely pointless and even ridiculous. I found myself laughing during them. "The Day After Tomorrow" is one of those movies that could have been a a great one with a lot of more effort on it.

D+

Mean Girls

I never had any interest in watching this. I always thought it was another teen movie completely pointless and meaningless. However the reviews for this movie were incredibly good (83% in RT) and many members from OW raved it. My expectations were growing and I decided to see it. And I can say only is "Wow!". Of course there are thousands of clichés just like all the teen movies but unlike them, everything in "Mean Girls" works. This was definetely Lindsay Lohan's breakthrough and she has come to stay. Besides having a great presence and charisma, Lohan completely carries the movie on her shoulders. Rachel McAdams is perfect as Regina. "Mean Girls" has (so far) this year's Best Adapted Screenplay. Tina Fey, who also appeared in the movie, created a screenplay filled with humour, drama, love and romance. "Mean Girls" is just the coolest and most entertaining movie of the last years.

The Stepford Wives

After the mixed bag that "The Score" was, Frank Oz brings us another mixed and messy movie called "The Stepford Wives", a remake of the movie with the same title from 1975 - a thriller. Nicole Kidman does a good job, as always. All the supporting cast (especially Glenn Close) gives from decent to memorable performances. However not even this amazing cast could really save the movie. The biggest problem is that we can't discover this movie's idendity. It tries so hard to mix comedy, drama, thriller and science fiction that in the end nothing works and the movie gets lost.

C-

Fahrenheit 9/11

I never thought I would like this movie so much. Being a not-American I thought some months ago that I couldn't care less about the American elections. As November approaches and after seing this movie (of course extremely biased) I feel like an American and really nervous to see what happens. I don't want to pronounce about my political choices so move on. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is an extremely delicious, touching and funny piece of art. It's more mainstream than Moore's latest documentary but it's also the one that connects and envolves more with the audience. From incredibly funny scenes to the drama of a mother's soldie everything works perfectly. I realized that Moore is really a gifted artist, a great narrator. Of course I have to agree that the movie is extremely biased, sometimes exxagerated and manipulative. But isn't that the point of it? One of the best films of the year.

B+

The Terminal

I don't understand a single negative review for this movie. I think that people are used to the Steven Spielberg that brought us movies like "Schindler's List" or "ET" but this "new" Spielberg who brought us "Catch me if you can" and now this gem "The Terminal" is as worthy as the old one. "The Terminal" is a brilliant movie. Tom Hanks completely re-invented himself and gave here one of his best performances to date - incredibly funny and incredibly touching. Stanley Tucci gave also a memorable performance. The cinematography from Janusz Kaminski is simply gorgeous as is the original score from the always brilliant John Williams. The only thing that really disappointed was Catherine Zeta Jones' character/ performance. Her character had a strong lack of psychological and emotional development so I couldn't feel anything for her neither understand her actions. She tried her best to make the character work but it didn't.

B-

The Manchurian Candidate

When the the trailer came out and the poster everything in this movie seemed to be pretty lame. I thought for myself "Oh no! Just another bad remake of a good movie". Then great reviews started rolling and I decided to give this political thriller, directed by Jonathan Demme, a chance. And I'm really happy that I did it. I can easily say that "The Manchurian Candidate" is one of the most intelligent, smartest and best made thrillers of the last years. The screenplay is extremely well-written. All the cast gave top notch performances from the always good Denzel Washington to the wonderful Meryl Streep. But the one who really stole every moment was Liev Schreiber, in one of the best male performances of the year. "The Manchurian Candidate" turned out to be an incredibly edgy, stylish and entertainment thriller.

C+

King Arthur

After the first ten minutes I thought that this movie seemed surprisingly good despite all the bad reviews and buzz that I have read and heard. But after the movie ended I realized how wrong I was. The word that can describe it is "mess". A big mess. Technically and visually the movie is almost flawless with a gorgeous cinematography and art direction and a nice original score from Hans Zimmer. These are truly the only good things here. The worst is really the screenplay with so many holes and corny dialogues that made me laugh and shake my head in disbelief during the whole movie. Clive Owen was decent but he was clearly miscasted. Keira Knightley's was bland and her character was the worst written of the whole movie. Her relationship and romance with Arthur was extremely unbelievable. I don't remember seeing a love story so underdeveloped in the last years. The movie ended so abruptely that I was expecting a "To Be Continued" sign. But perhaps it's better that everything is over. I blame Disney for trying so hard to get a PG-13 rating instead of the original R-Rating, creating an uneven, bland, dull and disappointing epic. King Arthur, the man, deserved better.

Vanity Fair

Technically and visually the movie is gorgeous and near flawless despite having mixed feelings towards the score since it was too much present and it was such a loudy and happy tune that quickly annoyed me. One of my biggest problems with the movie was all the Indian elements that Nair introduced - they felt completely meaningless, pointless and sometimes even ridiculous. This movie's biggest fault is absolutely Mira Nair's direction. I know it was her vision but she completely screwed the movie. There are some gems in the supporting cast like Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent and the wonderful Eileen Atkins. Reese Whiterspoon gave a funny and sometimes touching performance as the main lead. However her obvious pregnancy was annoying and many times distracted me from the movie. "Vanity Fair" could have been a masterpiece, as it is, is a passing period piece with some worthy performances.

The Notebook

"The Notebook" 's main plot is cliche, How many times have we watched movies with the tagline - "Behind a great love there is always a great story"? Dozens of times. I don't understand the weak critical support that this movie received. It is impossible not to be moved by this great and wonderful love story. Every single detail works perfectly - the cinematography, the score, the art direction and of course the actors. The supporting cast is excellent, especially James Garner and Gena Rowlands. Ryan Gosling was also very good but the true heart and soul of the movie was undoubtedly Rachel McAdams in a wonderful and outstanding performance that in a fair world would easily receive an Oscar Nomination. With "Mean Girls" and now "The Notebook", Rachel showed that she is the actress to watch for. Despite a somewhat overlong end, "The Notebook" is a precious and memorable little gem.

Shall We Dance?

"Shall We Dance" is a lift of fresh air. Richard Gere is an overworked lawyer who discovers that dancing is what he needed to fill his life with happiness and joy. The plot on paper sounds lame. But the actors is what raises the bar in this movie since they all shine. Gere brought for the first time in years the charm and charisma that he once had. He is perfect as the main lead. Susan Sarandon can do no wrong and she is absolutely great during the whole movie. I don't hate Jennifer Lopez like everybody does. I think she is a talented actress with terrible choices in movies and personal life. At the beginning of the movie she looked bland and uninteresting but as the movie keep going Lopez turned out to give an extrememely and surprisingly sweet performance. All the supporting cast is hilarious, especially Lisa Ann Walter ("Quit looking to my ass!"). Another thing that surprised was the strong chemistry that Gere had with both leading ladies. "Shall We Dance" is one of those movies that can do no harm. It's extremely innofensive and trust me you will have a good time watching this.

C+

The Door in the Floor

Surprisingly "The Door in the Floor" became one of my favorite movies of the year so far. Jeff Bridges is absolutely superb. He easily deserves an Oscar nomination. He doesn't have big Oscar-moments but his performance is filled with memorable scenes and dialogues. Kim Basinger gave here her best performance to date. She was perfect. The beauty of the movie is that each person has their interpretation. This makes the film more personally special. "Door in the Floor" is a subtle and marvelous movie featuring a gorgeous cinematography, a wonderful original score, an intelligent screenplay and top-notch performances-

Before Sunset

I watched this and I really didn't like it. I thought it was pointless and meaningless movie with no plot and no development. After a second viewing my opinion completely changed. This time everything looked wonderful. The movie was like a personal experience. Something that you watch and that you want to keep only for yourself. From politics, to science, to environment, to sex, all the themes are treated with extremely delicacy and care, giving the movie a unique feel and touch. Julie Delpy was wonderful in a subtle and career-defining performance. My only problem with the movie was Ethan Hawke, who constant smile and laugh became really annoying. When the movie ended I was left with many questions and only a few answers. I left the theatre with a big smile on my face. A gem.

B-

Finding Neverland

This was one of my most anticipated movies of the year and I am so happy that it didn't disappoint and it ended being the second masterpiece of the year after "Eternal Sunshine...". "Finding Neverland" 's biggest accomplishment is the lack of cynism and dishonesty, The movie is utterly moving and touching without being sappy and manipulative. Johnny Depp delivers one of his best performances (if not the best) to date. Despite not having the usual breakdown and strong scenes that all the actors fighthing for Oscars have Depp is absolutely flawless and subtle as the writer J.M. Barrie. Kate Winslet shows once again that she is one of the best actresses working today with an amazing and touching performance. Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman are also very good in their limited screentime. As for Freddie Highmore... I am not a fan of child actor performances since they always kind of annoy me but Freddie was absolutely heartbreaking and believable. His last scene with Depp should easily land him an Oscar nomination in a fair world. "Finding Neverland" is an heart-warming tale featuring memorable moments and performances.

B+

Hotel Rwanda

First I am really pleased that this movie was made. Even if we like it or not everybody can agree that this is an important movie. The Rwanda's massacre is a story that needed to be told and should remain in our minds. After watching this movie the first thing I asked myself was "Why?". Don Cheadle is virtually in every single scene and he completely carries the movie on his shoulders with such a tour-de-force, amazing, subtle, touching and mesmerizing performance. If there was any justice (which there isn't) Cheadle would really grab an Oscar nomination. He completely outshines every single actor in the movie. However the stand-out of the supporting cast is the newcomer Sophie Okonedo, playing Cheadle's wife. She is really wonderful and touching as a mother who has to do everything to save her children and to try to find the daughters of her murdered brother. We can really see, as pointed out in some reviews, some similar things to "Schindler's List". And while "Hotel Rwanda" doesn't have such a huge emotional punch like the former had, it still suceeds in touching and moving the audience with some really devastating scenes. Despite dragging a bit in some points, "Hotel Rwanda" is a touching but above all honest movie since it doesn't need to manipulate the audiences to completely envolve them.

A-

Million Dollar Baby

I didn't have any real expectations nor desire to see this film before all the hype. I don't like boxing movies and apart from Morgan Freeman I didn't really like any of the actors there. Then all the hype came and my expectations got higher but I still didn't have such a great desire to see it. And after having watched...wow. "Million Dollar Baby" is a masterpiece. No more, no less. It joins "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in being this year's best motion pictures. It's a movie that really hits you hard and it sticks with you. I have kept thinking about it since I watched it 2 days ago. Clint Eastwood gave the performance of his career and it's a shame that he hasn't received any notice so far for his wonderful work. Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman are also at their best. The movie isn't about boxing. It's so much more than that. It's about human nature, about relationships, about the characters. It is very gritty and very touching and moving at the same time without being manipulative. Well done, Clint!