Elder_Yautija Reviews

RoboCop (2014)

The film that shouldn't have been

[1/10 · 23 May 2020]

Love it or hate it, this is a film that should never have existed. No one thought that Robocop needed a remake, and if a studio was wants a cyborg movie then they should make a new cyborg movie. Even with its ties with the successful original and the stolen premise, this sloppy copycat manages to become ultra boring within 10 minutes, due to the terrible script, plastic acting, irritating all over the place score, and obviously the final result comes across as something being put together like a 2 hour long music video for kids who are fans of Justin Bieber and will watch anything as long as it's got shiny visuals. Well, guess what: even they didn't particularly like this crap, so this abortion has now landed where it belongs, in the Wastelands Of Forgetfulness, and it's there to stay. And rightly so.

A Little Late with Lilly Singh (2019–2021)

My advice to Lilly Singh...

[1/10 · 14 March 2020]

... is to take all her hard earned money and invest in something useful for herself and for humanity. She's become so out of touch with reality that this goofy, cringeworthy show she's been ill-advisedly handed is actually one step away from becoming harmful to its audience's mental health.

Lilly, if you're reading this, please: stop doing this. You're hurting people and you're hurting yourself. That's all I have to say to you.

To those few individuals left thinking that listening to her ramblings is a good way to spend the last hour of your day before you go to sleep I'll just say DON'T. Spare your brain cells the pain and the damage. You'll thank me later.

Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

I stopped caring after season 5, I stopped watching after season 7...

[5/10 · 3 September 2019]

... and Dumb & Dumber made sure I was right to do so.

I will just say that the myriad of YouTube videos that focus on tearing seasons 7 and 8 apart for how badly written they are, are way more entertaining and intellectually useful/satisfying than those seasons of the show. I recommend the pair of nitwits responsible for this once masterful adaptation's steady decline and untimely demise to go watch those videos and learn from their mistakes.

The Intouchables (2011)

They found each other by chance, and by chance they decided to... you know... like that other movie!

[6/10 · 25 June 2012]

There's nothing wrong with the meaning of the story. Nothing wrong in wanting to write and direct a well-meant story with some positive messages in it, as opposed to the gritty, dark and negative themes explored by most film-makers, nowadays. I just think it's such an old fashioned topic, there's so many more movies that explore the same kind of relationship, and better movies at that too, that this one comes across as clichéd, predictable and extremely cheesy. A movie like this would have worked for me when I was 10, not now. In the year 2012 it looks like an outdated commercial for tolerance, which, yes, is a delicate subject, but I just don't need such a childish approach to it so that I can understand it. I knew all about it already. And the film-maker should have known that. Infantilizing the characters to make them more enjoyable wasn't, in my opinion, a move that did the film any good at all, as it detracted from the sheer emotional power that it could have had, had the leads been less clownish. In this light, this movie shares the same fault as another french-spoken movie, "L'Hutieme Jour" (The Eighth Day), which also deals with the same kind of subjects (acceptance, tolerance, mutual respect, etc... between people of different backgrounds and different chances), and which also ultimately fails to be 100% convincing because of the goofiness of some scenes, which are put there only for the sake of lighthearted fun.

Many people found this movie to be ambiguously dealing with the subject of racial difference. I didn't see that at all. I watched the movie not caring at all about which one of the characters was rich or poor, or what color their skin was, and I still thought the movie wasn't anything special at all. I mean, is there still anyone out there who cares about that? And, even if someone does, how can they say this movie's racist?? It's a collection of clichés which have been taught to us since the beginning of time, it's very formulaic and extremely predictable.

In all the technical department, though, this film excels in the true meaning of the word. It has very nice shots throughout, beautiful photography and some amazing dialog, on top of A-list acting from all the main characters. Nevertheless, even though I couldn't exactly predict how the story would end, I had this feeling like I saw it all already. To be honest, halfway through the movie, I predicted that one of the characters would die, making the other very sad. That didn't happen, but all that came before I was able to predict almost to the letter. Scene by scene by scene, I've seen it already. It looked like a movie from the 60's revisited and re-shot to look like it's brand new.

It took ages for the movie to catch my full attention, mostly because in the very beginning there's the higher concentration of clichés. Everything looked and sounded like I'd seen it a million times already. In the middle, a lot of nonsense, funny at times, but still nonsense. And in the end, nothing happens. Nothing we didn't know already, at least, 1 hour earlier. The characters don't even develop at all. Actually, they regress quite a bit. They're kinda interesting in the beginning. In their first meeting, I got the idea that their relationship would really cause sparks to fly, which I thought might be a very good idea to make the story interesting. At about 15 minutes into the movie, instead, when Driss starts working at Philippe, he suddenly transforms from streetwise rogue into a clown, while Philippe, amused by his partner's transformation, adds the word "funny" to the cynical wise-cracker with a golden heart that he already was. That's about it, and it all happens just like that, no questions asked. They just tolerate each other's ways from second one. Then Driss leaves, Philippe gets sad and grumpy and stops shaving. Nothing gradually changes, which would have been much more intriguing. And that's it!

Secondary characters like Yvonne and Philippe's daughter) and her useless ex-boyfriend) are there just to fill the screen, and I doubt anyone would care if they're still there or not in the next 15 minutes, or wonder what happened to them at the end of the movie. Did you? Sure, some of them were funny at times, but who cares if they're funny if they don't help the story at all? Also the motivations of some of these characters aren't explained or explored at all. They're just seen behaving in a certain way because it looks cool in the movie, cause the director can then add another sketch to boost the running time (the redundant scenes with Philippe's daughter and her boyfriend, or the dumb-ass sky-diving sequence, or the pointlessness of the car chase scene), but it's not really clear why they do so, nor is it vital for the viewer to know.

The leads are great actors, that's for sure. They do an amazing job and they're both very likable. There's some real funny sketches (the one with Philippe getting his beard shaved by Driss, for example) and some very mean jokes ("Where can you find a quadriplegic?") which make the movie much more enjoyable. Also the camera-work and direction are flawless: we get some amazing aerial shots and some fine editing work, on top of a stunning photography, a rare thing to find in movies nowadays, in my opinion. All in all, not a bad movie, only criminally overrated and over-hyped and NOWHERE NEAR the true art-house french cinema that real directors/storytellers like Truffaut got us accustomed to.

Intouchables: 6\10

Prometheus (I) (2012)

The mistaking of technicality for creativity by the modern-age moviegoer and its disastrous consequences. *SPOILERS*

[1/10 · 3 June 2012]

*WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!*

Someone in the message boards said, in defense of Prometheus (which was being bashed by a poster): "Thank God art is subjective!"

Well, you said it: ART is subjective, so this commercial, intentionally crowd-pleasing sh#t doesn't qualify.

At the premiere in Amsterdam there wasn't a single clap after this turd was over, only laughter and "MEH"'s said out loud. You want to hear a fact? This is pure vomit in film form. THAT is a fact.

I can't even begin to imagine what sort of mushroom-fueled hallucinogenic trip one must be on to call this "art". Why, cause it's computer generated images? So what? Only cause "Avatar" managed to be visually arresting doesn't make any 3D/CGI-fueled piece of cr#p an artistic accomplishment. "Hercules in New York" could be remade tomorrow, in 3D with CGI special effects, and it would still be a turd. Why the comparison? Simple. Here's a list of things that these two movies share:

1) A childish story, with as much depth as my bathtub but painted black so it looks deeper and darker, but then eventually unfolds like it could have been written by the 13-year-old mongoloid cousin of my neighbor. This movie can be watched only with the law of probability firmly stamped in your forehead.

2) Religious references that are so needed in the plot as a growth under my armpit. That Christian faith reference was so laughable and unnecessary that every time they showed that cross-shaped necklace I had cramps in my belly. I thought I was gonna throw up.

3) Characters which aren't characters, they're merely guest appearances. Faces that are there, but could easily not be there and you wouldn't miss, or, even worse, faces that make you happier once you know they're gone. Remember the one with the punk haircut? Remember the Asian dude? And the guy with the beard? Wait a second... what guy with the beard???

4) Acting from the school of Howard The Duck in almost every scene, even from those actors you would never expect it from. "Will that be all?" - "Yes... FATHER!" - Shoot me in the face, please.

5) Dialogues that seem like they've been written by a 10-year-old with Alzheimer after he's had a "Growing Pains" 48-hour marathon... (Read the above point for a reference, then watch the movie for a real good laugh)

6) The shameless use of every cliché one can possibly come up with. A sterile woman (whom we find out is sterile in a scene that's meant for tears but finally works for laughs) eventually gets pregnant; the old, powerful guy behind it all, who's supposedly dead but then it turns out he's not; the cold, heartless robot who places science above human life in his priorities list; the hidden (yet obvious and totally expected) family relation between characters... the list can go on forever.

7) The most important for me: INVOLUNTARY COMEDY... that was painful. I actually felt embarrassed to be in that theater, at moments. Like the scene where Shaw gets a computerized-midwife for a quick abortion. I won't give anything out, but I promise: you're up for laughs! The whole theater laughed their butts off in that scene, so don't forget your pop- corn! Oh, wait... what do you mean it wasn't meant for laughs???

The list could go on, but I haven't got all day.

If one can overlook these details, Prometheus could be seen as a case of "nice-try-sucker" film-making from a once brilliant director. But that's not the truth. The truth is: this is A BAD MOVIE, and if you don't see it through the smokescreen, then your brain must be dead. Or at least in a coma.

So what's the big deal about this two hour long raping of my sight, so that it gets 8.3 on IMDb? I guess people want to force themselves to like it, cause it's Scott, cause it's related to Alien, cause the expectations were high and everyone hates having to admit that they've been let down and that they wasted their money. I would hate to have to admit it. But I had no expectations and went in for free, so I don't have to.

My friends, who I went with to watch Prometheus said to me, after the mess was over: "I wanted to like it, I really wanted to!". But they just couldn't. How can you possibly be a movie lover, know Scott's classics, NOT be brainwashed and still like this stain of puke?

I hated every minute of it (except for the opening sequence, hence the 2 star rating), and so did the other 600 people in the theater. Think about it and be honest to yourself. Just cause trailers, teasers, movie connections, big names and companies make you think you have to like it, you don't really have to, do you?

Battle Los Angeles (2011)

Some movies are so bad they're good, this one's so bad IT's REALLY BAD!!

[1/10 · 9 June 2011]

Wow, am I amazed! Isn't this the worst movie I've watched in the last two years... I mean, forget Blair Witch Project's sequel, forget all those Hollywood remakes we're being stuffed with, of all the turkeys polluting our screens nowadays this one takes the cake. Now, there must be a way to get through the ordeal and actually manage to stay awake till the end credits roll and that's by simply following these rules:

1) think of all the clichè you can summon in your head, all those stereotypes that made Hollywod movies, especially action-flicks, so redundant and unbearable and rest assured that this movie has them all rolled into it.

2) Forget about good acting: most of the faces you see in this abortion of a movie you'll probably never see again (you better pray you don't!), probably homeless people randomly taken off the streets and dressed up like US Marine Corps. The two faces you'll most likely recognize, Rodriguez and Eckhart, struggle to maintain credibility while playing characters (that's a big word) who are supposedly serious but really border on the ridiculous with every sentence they've been given.

3) and most important: forget about a story! See, this isn't a movie you're about to watch, it's a montage. A montage of all the leftovers of what could have been good movies. All the spurious was filtered in here. You get to see it all, la creme de la creme: a) a bunch of wannabe soldiers running around in helmets and backpacks getting drunk, puking, sputtering stupid one- liners and, every 5 minutes or so, have a nervous breakdown and start shouting at each other. b) Aliens (?) that look like robots (!!!!!), seem to be impossible to kill at one moment and drop like flies when shot at 5 minutes later and god knows where they come from. c) some weatherman saying that extermination=colonization (what the hell is that supposed to mean now?) and d) a giant subterranean spaceship that's supposed to be where the aliens come from, or at least the vehicle they used to reach earth and yet no one in whole California state has seen it landing and the aliens fall from the sky like comets in the beginning.... well, if this isn't enough to dismiss this movie as a disgusting pile of utter garbage, then I don't know. I must be really getting old.

Fist of the North Star 2 (1987–1988)

Better than the first series

[10/10 · 11 October 2010]

Hokuto No Ken is one of the few examples of a product for entertainment that gets better and better as its story unfolds. Those of us who believed that, after Kenshiro's epic fight with Raoh at the end of the first series, this anime couldn't get any better, better think again.

The characters of Kenshiro, Rhiaku, Bat and Linn are the only grasp left to the viewer on what the past series was about; here and there we get some flashbacks about Raoh's plans of conquest in the Land of Shura and that's it for what we think we know.

The rest of the series unfolds as unpredictably as can be, with a lot of revelations coming to the surface that will spread light over some of the mysteries of the first series.

A whole lot of new characters enter the scene, like Falco, a Gento general seemingly unbeatable baddie turned to good, Ahin, Shachi and the three main demons of the land of Shura. I know some of the hardcore fans of the first series could get sentimental and would maybe like to see Rei, Toki, Salzer and all those great guys again but, hey, they're dead!! And the new characters fully make up for their absence (with the exception maybe of Ahin, a little too flashy and too prone to one-liners). But the villains in this 2nd series are absolutely amazing, far more scary than Raoh ever was!! Wait for Kaio to show up, if you don't believe me! Kenshiro will go through some reeeeal deep S@#t before he will get his deeds done.

The final battles against the demons of Shura are among the best fighting scenes ever drawn in a anime production; blood and gore are cheap and the level of violence is far higher than it was before. As a matter of fact, I would not recommend this anime, especially this series I'm reviewing, to little kids. But it's an amazing series of an amazing anime, nevertheless. Far better than the already brilliant first series, as I said before. Watch it if you have a chance!

A must-see for any anime-fanatic or martial arts lover!

My vote: 10\10

The Toxic Avenger (1984)

The Best Horror B-Movie in Horror B-Movies History

[10/10 · 22 April 2007]

Watch out, I said B-Movie! So, don't get the wrong idea by seeing the high rate vote that you're gonna watch anything even loosely similar to "serious" horror movies like "The Thing". But this is also, perhaps, the finest, most accomplished, most entertaining horror B-movie of all time! Don't expect any complex dialogue, any acting show-off or any directorial finesse, this one has nothing to do whit those things. Just enjoy "The Toxic Avenger" in all its cheap splatter glory and goofy lines, cause this is where the first and only superhero from New Jersey was born. And remember: "if you're in danger and you need help, maybe, just maybe... the Toxic Avenger will be there".

A cult!

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

It lacks Kubrick's typical touch

[7/10 · 13 November 2006]

Eyes Wide Shut is not a bad movie. The story is engaging, the leading actors deliver good performances, the photography is exceptional...but it still lacks something. It lack's the final touch that makes a Stanley Kubrick picture a standalone thing. I mean....if you watch either A Clockwork Orange or 2001 A Space Odyssey (or Barry Lyndon, or any other early masterpiece Kubrick has delivered), at the end of the movie you're gonna be like:"Oh, my god! Was this movie for real or did I just dream it?", your mouth wide open and tears of joy shedding from your eyes. After watching this one I felt instead like I've been watching a good movie, telling an intriguing story and directed with professionality. That's all. Nothing special. Nothing even in the same league of other Kubrick movies. It lacks Kubrick's magic.

Bottom line: if this was directed by any other unknown guy it would be getting a 7. Disappointing.

5/10

The Elephant Man (1980)

Impressive and touching

[10/10 · 8 August 2006]

One of my favorite movies to date is the real life-based story of Joseph (John in the movie) Merrik, aka the Elephant Man, a 21 years old Englishman living across the 18th and 19th century (am I right?) and whose whole body is severely deformed from a rare and incurable disease. It may sound strange, for a director, wanting to make a movie about a so profound disgrace happened to a man, and maybe inappropriate, but the portrait furnished by David Lynch of this unusual gentleman is one of the most touching, deepest, yet most impressive figures the history of cinema has ever displayed. It's presented in a wonderful b/w photography which helps you get into the dramatic reality, into the sadness of its story. Anthony Hopkins is simply amazing in the role of doctor Frederick Treves, a man whose intents of study and knowledge of the strange disease he's witnessed will soon bring him so close to the very soul of the Elephant Man, and yet he's not really sure if he's acting in John's or in science' interest. The carachter impersonated by John Hurt has nothing to envy to the most tormented heroes of Tim Burton's flicks, but the actor's performance, his suffocated voice, and deep artistic sensitivity define his beautiful soul much more than his appearance. In the beginning, this movie is very hard to watch, due to the fact that the disfigured facade of the Elephant Man is shown in all its dramaticity and some more sensitive ones could find it...heavy. That's what happened to me. All I can say is that after 30 minutes of movie I was in love with both the movie and its lead carachter and now this film stands in my personal top list of all time. It really strikes some chords..... Beautiful.

Deliverance (1972)

A trip they'll never forget

[10/10 · 22 July 2006]

One of my favorite movies to date starts as an adventure through the wild side of a team of four men from Atlanta. The idea of living the Chulawasse river before it's turned into a lake comes from Burt Reynold's Lewis, who unconsciously drowns his fellas into their worst nightmare. But if the first half of the film appears rather like an action movie, the second half carries the viewer into a totally different story, with our men forced to make a decision that (they know) will change their lives forever. In very bad ways. At the end of the movie, each person is gonna be forced to deal with the scars of what had just to be a quite week-end on the river but muted into a fight for survival. The movie (except some pretty evident goofs) is very well directed and beautifully shot into a paradise of nature that steals your breath. The photography is excellent as well. Voight, Reynolds, Cox and Beatty are all excellent in showing how a single event can ruin in different ways four different lives only tied to the same mistake.

The Fly (1986)

A dive in the pool of plasma

[10/10 · 19 July 2006]

This is the very rare example of a horror movie in which special effects and the horrifying component are not as important as the characters. It's also the even more rare example of a horror movie which actually tells a real story, based on the characters' lives and personalities and on the events that make them interact. The acting is in effect much better than anyone would expect (Jeff Goldblum's performance is truly remarkable, I personally started liking him after watching this one), plus director David Cronenberg managed to transform original film from 1958 by the same title from common sci-fi low-budgeted flick to well illustrated journey into human flesh (Kafka's influence is pretty evident). The horrific make up which slowly turns our man into the final hybrid monster well deserved its Oscar and made this movie, at the time of its release, object of cult (I remember I was just a child at the time and everybody was talking about The Fly, I practically knew the movie before I first saw it). I can easily say this is my favorite horror movie of all time.

Primus: The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1996 Music Video)

Great music, Great video!

[10/10 · 27 June 2006]

Primus has always been know for their weird, absurd videos. Many times we can see them in their videos while playing the songs, many others it's them who play the characters the song is built on. In this case the main characters are puppets (supposedly made of clay) who tell us the story of the encounter between this happy farm-boy with a shot for violin and the devil himself, who, armed with his own, diabolic violin, challenges the boy to create a better melody than his. While we watch the images of the stop-motion puppets (perfect in the lesser details), we can listen to the song, performed by Primus with their usual crazy touch and enhanced by a country-like, well suited violin arrangement. The video is now available on the double release "Animals should not try to act like people", collection of all of Primus videos, from the seminal album "Freezle fry" to the latter "Brown album", a must have which features the return of former drummer Tim Alexander playing with the band 5 new, prog-oriented songs.

Audioslave: Live in Cuba (2005 Video)

The best of Soundgarden+the best of R.A.T.M.=Audioslave live!

[10/10 · 14 June 2006]

They are the explosive combination of the best parts of two of the most influential bands of the rock scene in the nineties. They made two great albums in three years (I honestly prefer the first but I like the other too) and they've been now the first rock band from the US to ever perform a show in Cuba! All I can say is: they're going to become legends just like Metallica did before!

Chris Cornell's versatility as a singer is surprising after almost 20 years of career (he's 41 now...), and he stays my favorite cause no man on earth can sing like he does!!! The guys from R.A.T.M. are just as good as they've always been, with Tom Morello's exception, cause he improved his skills and refined his style, watching him messing with his guitar like only he can do is impressive!

This is a must-see, even for those who don't like hard rock, cause this is not just a show, this is history!

The Mission (1986)

The dead will live in the memory of the living.....

[10/10 · 14 June 2006]

I think this movie deserved much more attention than it's been given, cause today, June the 14th 2006 (20 years after its release), I realized this movie is one of the closest to perfection. This is how a movie should be like! I love the story (and the way its told), I love the score (Morricone rules!), I love the photography (simply amazing and fascinating), I love the acting of both the main actors (don't need to name them) who help the talented director Roland Joffe' depicting one of the finest images of the struggles the native South Americans have been through centuries ago just to keep their culture and identity alive (and the battle is still raging, as we can read in the ending lines). This is a movie filled with pure and deep humanity, charity, this is about mistakes and forgiveness, sins and redemption, the power of weapons against the weight of love, but most of all, the lessons we read between its lines is that, even in death, hope never dies, like the memory of great people will live forever as the living keep it alive. Great movie!

Open Your Eyes (1997)

Vanilla... what?

[10/10 · 12 June 2006]

I think I'm not ever going to watch Vanilla sky....no,no,no! Why should I? Thanks Amenabar for this movie and, with all the respect for director Cameron Crowe, I suggest all of you movie-fans not to watch his remake unless you watch this before. How can I be so sure? Just take a look at all the remakes and sequels made by Hollywood directors in the last decade and compare them to their respective originals; see the lack of ideas which has infected the Hollywood scene. I have to be honest, I tried to watch Vanilla sky, just to satisfy my curiosity, a couple of months after watching Abre Los Ojos, and I had to switch it off after the first thirty minutes! No way, the two movies are incomparable.

Abre Los Ojos is a vivid example of fresh and genuine screen writing and very good acting by actors who were beautifully unknown, at least in 1997. Eduardo Noriega (who plays Cesar, the main character) is as deep and expressive when he plays normally as when he wears a mask as when he's covered in disfiguring make-up! Najwa Nimri (who plays instead the devilish woman who causes all of Cesar's misfortunes) is very convincing, she almost scared me! Penelope Cruz doesn't need any introduction, and I think this is one of her best movies. Hats off to Alejandro Amenabar, who actually wrote the story which fueled not only VSky, but a lot more movies (what about Memento's rewinding flashbacks? and the Matrix' parallel lives?) I may be mistaken, but as far back as I can remember I can find only one movie, released prior to this one, which presents some aspects that we find here much better elaborated, and that's Jacob's Ladder (who have seen both the movies can understand what I'm talking' about). Anyway, I can tell that since I've seen this movie'trailer I always thought there was something strange in it, something that I cannot explain yet now that I've watched it several times; It may be its dark, oppressive mood that steals the air. Or the "insanity" of the whole story once you realize, at the end of the movie, what you've been actually watching. But still there's something fascinating about Abre Los Ojos, something that makes me place it on a peak where only a masterpiece can stand! You people gotta watch it!

Army of Darkness (1992)

Definitely Raimi's most personal and best movie

[9/10 · 6 June 2006]

This is definitely Sam Raimi's best movie. No one but him could have made such a tour-De-force. I have always admired Raimi, his way of shooting and all his camera-acrobatics (at least until this one movie......), which I think represents an unmistakable trademark. The story starts right where The Evil Dead 2 left about 8 years before, but since the first lines it's clear that this movie is gonna take a different way. The movie itself is already funny (of course in a horrific way), but the winning at-out, that something which gives it the push to get beyond, is Bruce Campbell's re-interpretation of an old favorite character, the brave and unstoppable Ash, who, as usual, is fighting zombies, monsters and demons while pursuing the ill-famed Necronomicon, the latter ravenous and conspicuous as ever. Bruce's acting and mimic skills are here really in evidence, he shows a great feeling for his character but most of all he makes you laugh, he makes you laugh a lot with his unforgettable sentences and his unique, exuberant fight style. Any Raimi fan will love it.

Papillon (1973)

Once you see it, you never forget it.

[10/10 · 3 June 2006]

This movie has a very particular meaning to me. I remember the first time I watched it with my pa', I was 7 or something, and I was really captured by its deep humanity. That was the first and last time I watched this movie since this year, when I found it in a store and immediately bought it. The amazing thing is that, on my way home, I started thinking back about the movie and it was clear to me that I perfectly remembered, after over 15 years, every single part of the movie, from the beginning to the end, even the smallest details. A fact that was confirmed few minutes later when I got home and played it. I reckon not all movies have the same effects. And I think whoever watches this movie is gonna be blown away as I've been before. The real, thoughtful, amazing and, why not, entertaining story this film tells, along with the masterful acting of both McQueen and Hoffman, make of Papillon a really hard-to-forget experience, something you could become addicted to. Unmissable.

A History of Violence (2005)

One of Cronenberg's best!

[9/10 · 30 May 2006]

I'll tell you what: this movie is simply amazing! I've never been a great Mortensen fan, but I have to say he's great here. I've been waiting months for this movie and at the end I was totally satisfied...this is one of Cronenberg finest, he shows here that his ability to crawl under one's skin is not common to every director on the scene. To the most interested viewers: I suggest more than one view to discover and fully understand all the psychological finesses hidden into the script and the lead-acting, and then you'll fully enjoy this voyage into people's mind, masterfully built and beautifully orchestrated by an artist at his top who's gonna show you that everybody has something to hide, in an unusual accessible way. Great piece of cinema!