soniagoenaga25 Reviews

Amores Perros (2000)

An excellent film

[10/10 · 18 June 2005]

I bought this movie on DVD few weeks ago and I must admit that I really like it. It is not only an excellent film with extraordinary performances but also a captivating movie with 3 different stories with the connection of the dogs. All the actors play their roles brilliantly. Thanks to all these things I highly recommend this movie to all the people who love good movies. Thanks to this film I am starting to love Mexican films and Mexican actors, specially Emilio Echevarria, recently seen in 'The Alamo', film which I did not like at all due to the way in which the Mexican soldiers are portrayed, but this is not the case. What I am saying is that 'Amores perros' is absolutely recommendable to all those people interested in good movies.

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Very well made but clearly very partial towards the Muslims

[4/10 · 5 June 2005]

I have recently seen 'Kingdom of heaven', film which I did not enjoy for one simply reason. It is very well made and the performances are extraordinary, but it has a very big mistake, the way in which it portrays both sides of the crusades. While the Christians are shown as beasts ready for blood, specially the Templars, who want power and hate the Muslims, without mercy, the Muslims are portrayed as the victims of the crusade. While the Christians never forgive the lives of the Muslims, the Muslims have mercy on their enemies and let them live. This is not accurate at all, neither the Christians were the beast this film try to show us, nor the Muslim were the good soldiers as in the film. I am not talking about a clash of civilizations, not at all, but it totally partial to say that the Muslims were the good ones and the Christians, with any exceptions, were the bad ones. It is not true because the Muslims committed many crimes on behalf of their religion. What I think is that Ridley Scott has made a political correct film in order not to hurt the Muslim community in Europe and in the rest of the world, and this is not good but it changes completely the story. Moreover, while in Jerusalem, there were no Jews in the film, something that is wrong because there were a lot of Jews living there at that time, so I do not understand the director's point of view. It could have been a very good film but due to the political correctness it has turned out to be a disappointing movie. Even I was nearly to leave the cinema due to the constant attack towards the Chrisitans and the defense of the Muslims. Now I understand why this film is so successful in Muslim nations. It shows just a part of the real history not all.

The Last Ride (2004 TV Movie)

A very interesting movie with great performances

[17 March 2005]

I have just seen 'The last ride'on DVD and I really liked it very much, not only because Will Patton, who is in fact my favorite actor, apart from Gerry Butler, is an excellent character actor, but also because the story itself is very interesting. Since the very beginning I was caught by an attractive argument so that I enjoyed this movie very much.I am waiting anxiously to buy it on DVD because I love Will, he has showed his enormous talent for acting in all his films so I hope he will be nominated for the Oscar awards one day. On the other hand it is clear that the American productions are much better than those made in Europe, without any doubt and although some of them are not good, (there is always an exception to the rules), in general American action movies, like 'The last ride' are better and more interesting. I do not why but the case is that I personally prefer those films made in the States and not only because of Will but also because I love them and that is all. In conclusion, this is a very recommendable film with good performances and an interesting story.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Gerard should have been nominated for the Golden Globe Awards

[10/10 · 1 January 2005]

I don't understand the reason for not nominating Gerard for the Golden Globe Awards when he is the star of 'The Phantom of the Opera'. In the first place he is much more convincing in his role than Emmy Rossum, and despite of her good quality for singing, in fact, she is an opera singer, her performance is far from being convincing. She is just like a mere object without personality. Gerard is totally the opposite, he is absolutely marvelous as the Phantom, masculine and romantic. Apart from the fact that he has a good voice. Despite of not being a singer, he has impressed me very much so this movie has given Gerard the chance of singing well. I am completely fed up with Hollywood for not nominating Gerard as best actor, he really deserves this prize and not Emmy. Perhaps the reason is that he is Scottish, something without any sense, because Scotland is a very beautiful country and the Scottish accent is the most beautiful accent I have ever heard. So this is not an excuse for excluding him from the prize, although Hollywood always excludes foreign actors because of their accents and this is totally unjustifiable. I hope Gerard to win a prize one day because he deserves it.

The Agency: The Agency (2001) Season 1, Episode 0

An excellent production

[10/10 · 5 December 2004]

I started watching this TV American production a year ago and now as they are showing it again on TV I have the opportunity of seeing it and Will Patton as well. Although I love this production I must confess that the first thing which caught my attention was Will Patton. His character is so sweet and good-hearted that I fell completely in love with him, apart from the fact that he is an excellent actor who has been playing many and various roles since he was young. In this series Will is not the typical secret agent, who must be cold and with no feelings,to the contrary, he is a really good man who is concerned about the consequences of the actions made by the organization he works for. Will's performance is simply wonderful. On the other hand both,the stories and the other actor's performances are brilliant because they get audience's attention very easily. This is what makes this TV series highly recommended to everyone.

The Punisher (2004)

A much better film than the first version

[10/10 · 12 June 2004]

I have read lots of commentaries about 'The punisher' so I am going to say few words about it. In the first place I expected this film to be like the version made in 1989, but to my surprise I found it much better and more interesting than the first version. From the beginning to the end it caught my attention, specially because the story itself is attractive. It does not have something unreal, a man whose family is killed by a criminal and who wants revenge is totally real and understandable so in my opinion is not a fiction movie full of fantasy. On the other hand this movie reflects very well the world plenty of violence in which we live, crimes, drug dealers, etc, etc and the lack of justice so I do not understand those people who criticize this film because of the violence shown in it. Life is much more violent and nobody says nothing, just to watch the news and we can see how violent the world is. Apart from the story, the performance of Thomas Jane and John Travolta are very good and although some people could think that Thomas Jane is not very expressive here I have to say that his character can't express his feelings because his only motive is to take revenge on those who attacked his family. For me Thomas is fantastic as the punisher. John Travolta plays his role quite well and gives him a little bit of sense of humour, something necessary. Both are the best actors in this movie. In conclusion, it is a very worth watching film and not so violent as some people could think.

Van Helsing (2004)

An interesting film with the best Dracula, an incredibly sexy Richard Roxburgh, I have ever seen, apart from Chistopher Lee, of course!

[10/10 · 20 May 2004]

I have recently seen Van Helsing, film which I really enjoyed due to different factors. In the first place it is absolutely original the mixture of the three classical monsters of the universal literature, Dracula (excellent Richard Roxburgh), Frankenstein and the Werewolf. Never have I seen such an adventure, my God! From the beginning to the end the whole film catches the attention of the audience and it is totally impossible to get bored. Despite what some critics say about this movie, there are very good things that critics do not want to accept, for example, the story, as I said above, is very creative, not only because of the mixture of the three monsters, but also because it shows perfectly the atmosphere of Transilvania created by the great imagination of Bram Stoker. In addition to this I must say that thanks to the brilliant perfomance of all the cast, but specially thanks to the highly attractive Australian actors Richard Roxburgh, whom I consider the best and sexiest Dracula I have ever seen (with the permission of the great Christopher Lee), and Hugh Jackman, another Aussie who plays very well his role as Van Helsing and whose transformation as a werefolf suits on him very wel, I did not get bored while watching it. Another question, is it a coincidence that both masculine roles are played by Australian boys? (It is very well-known that men from Australia are very handsome. I have also read some commentaries in which a boy from Poland said that Richard Roxburgh is not very good as Dracula, does this mean that this Polish boy could do it better than Richard? Of course not. I would add another thing, Richard plays very well his role and moreover, neither Bela Lugosi nor other actors in the same role, have never had the same glamour as Richard. He has an air of romanticism which gives him the impression of being a human being with feelings and a sense of pain due to its constant battle between Evil and Good. In conclussion, it is not just a fascinating film to see but also an adventure plenty of action, love and good perfomances. I liked it so much that in fact, I am going to see it again. All the cast is brilliant but for me personally Richard is the best and deserves all the best in this world in which it is very difficult to have a main role in Hollywood when being a foreigner.

Van Helsing (2004)

A very interesting movie

[10/10 · 17 May 2004]

Last week I saw 'Van Helsing' and to tell you the truth I really think that critics are very bad with his comments about this film. Lots of them think that this is just a film for having a good time and nothing else, but in my opinion there are some things which must be considered. In the first place, the combination of the three monsters, Dracula (the sexiest Dracula I have ever seen, much better and more attractive than others),Frankestein and the Warewolfman is original and it has never seen in movies such a mixture of three different stories. On the other hand, the story itself is not only original but also interesting because it catches the attention of the audience and from the beginning to the end everybody is expecting what is going to happen. But the best thing is the perfomance of the Australian actors Richard Roxburgh (an incredibly fascinating vampire)and Hugh Jackman (a very funny and interesting hero. Both of them are perfect as enemies whose interest is to destroy each other, although I would have personally preferred Dracula to have won the battle, ha,ha,ha. Is it a coincidence that both sexy characters like Van Helsing and Dracula are played by Australian perfomers? This confirms that men from this nation are very handsome.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Simply marvellous!

[8 December 2003]

I have recently seen 'Master and commander', played by the New Zealender, although Australian by adoption, Russell Crowe. Never have I spent such a great time in the cinema!. It is a brilliant movie and from the beginning to the end the action takes place so there is no time to get bored. It is not also the story itself which makes the film interesting, but also the excellent perfomances of Russell Crowe (an actor who also deserved an Oscar for his magnificent perfomance in L.A CONFIDENTIAL) and the British born actor Paul Bettany. It is sure this film will be nominated to the next Oscar awards in 2004 and I hope Russell Crowe to be nominated as best actor in a leading role. (He is the best one, without the slightest doubt)

Take My Eyes (2003)

An excellent movie to see

[10/10 · 17 October 2003]

I have recently seen 'Take my eyes' its Spanish title is 'Te doy mis ojos'. It is really a brilliant film, from the beginning to the end of it the whole story attracts the audience attention, mainly because it is a real theme, unfortunately very real for lots of women who suffer pains and bad treatments from their husbands. It should have won the main award in the San Sebastian film festival for the best film, but unfortunately it did not win it. On the other hands, the roles of Laia... and Luis Tosar are wonderful. They won their prizes for their excellent acting. Everybody should see this film, specially men, in order to know how to prevent attacks against women

Amen. (2002)

A brilliant film

[10/10 · 3 January 2003]

I have recently seen 'Amen' which I really enjoyed very much. It is an excellent movie that shows us the brutality and cruelty of the Nazis and the silence of the Vatican and some Protestant churches in the Holocaust. As a Catholic, it shocked me how the Vatican, lots of priests and nuns helped the Nazis in their madness of killing Jews (mostly) and other people such as gipsies, homosexual persons etc. It is not an offense to the Catholic church to say the truth about what was going on during those terrible years, this is why I do not agree with the reaction of the Vatican towards this film. Everybody must know that the Pope Pie XII and lots of priests, cardinals and nuns kept silent, althoug I must admit that other Catholics really helped the Jews. Finally the perfomance of the German actor Ulrich Tukur was wonderful. He should have won the prize of best actor in the European movie festival celebrated in Rome because he expressed very well the feeling of horror when he found the killings of the Jews. The rest of the actors are good too, but Ulrich's perfomance was the best one without the slightest doubt. Moreover he is very attractive in uniform!!

The Pianist (2002)

A wonderful film!

[15 December 2002]

It is a very good film in which nobody can be indifferent. The feelings of horror and painful are very well expressed in this excellent movie directed by Polanski, who is one the best directors in the world. I have enjoyed so much this film that I do not have words to express my opinion about it. Polanski should be nominated to the Oscars awards and perhaps Adrien Brody,whose perfomance is absolutely marvellous. I would also liked Thomas Kretschmann, he played his role very well.

Gladiator (2000)

The best historic film I have ever seen

[10/10 · 7 February 2002]

In my opinion, Gladiator is one of the best films about the Roman Empire. Never have I seen such a good film because it combines both, entertainment and a high level of quality. I have seen it more than 3 times and the more I see it, the more I like it. But the best of it is the perfomance of Russell Crowe and the rest of the actors, moreover, Joaquin Phoenix is a wonderful villain. He should have won an Oscar for his brilliant perfomance. In few words, I recommend this film to everybody who likes history and entertainment.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)

A wonderful film!

[10/10 · 28 October 2001]

I have seen BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF recently and I would like to say that it is one of the best films I have seen in many years. It has an extraordinary story which envolves the viwer from the beggining to the end. Never have I seen such a beautiful French film. And on the other hand I have to say that Samuel Le Bihan is a very good actor, apart from being really attractive. The story and the actors, specially Samuel are extraordinary good.