RubenMalayan Reviews

Hernán (2019– )

Fantastic!

[10/10 · 16 January 2023]

I think this is a great production. I am very much looking forward to Season 2, as the first one is certainly a success. Impeccable attention to details, costumes, VFX, sound - everything is top notch. Storyline as well. Not for a second I doubted the authenticity of any shot. The cast is great as well. Loved the work with color grading, its fantastic. Hopefully the creators will continue such high level of commitment in the coming season and won't make us wait very long for it. I wish they were more historical productions of this level, but as in El Cid, this one is definitely a keeper. Cant wait to see how the plot evolves.

Us (II) (2019)

Terrible

[2/10 · 4 July 2020]

This is by far the most ridiculous film I have seen in years. None of it makes sense, the acting is pathetic. What a waste of money and time.

The Space Between Us (I) (2017)

What are you spending money on?

[3/10 · 14 February 2019]

My God. Where to begin. Gary Oldman was the reason why I wanted to this is movie, but half way through I realized that he is so out of his element that its just embarrassing. The acting is simply awful, the direction cannot make up his mind is he making a teenager movie with pop music in the background or a film for adults. Either way its simply laughable.

Noah (2014)

Nothing short of amazing

[8/10 · 11 July 2014]

I won't hide it, I am a big fan of both historical film and Crowe. I thought that perhaps only Riddley Scott could have pulled this off. But I was amazed at the director's solutions, both visual and conceptual. The dialogs are perfect, each word is weighted and is heavy as rock. I watched the film with single breath unable to move my eyes away from the screen. The mini-story of the creation and stop-motion technique used in the film are both superbly executed. But in the end, its all about the philosophy, the tragedy of human kind - the two opposing outlooks on life clash on screen and force the viewer to ask himself - which side is he on? Respect.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Not nearly as good as it could have been

[4/10 · 6 December 2013]

I must admit, I am a sucker for historical films. But this one just confirmed what I see time and time again in the modern cinema - you may have all the money in the world, incredible cast, unbelievable production level and breath-taking art, but if your story and script are weak and the director lacks vision and pace - it will be a failure. This movie is a perfect example of that. The characters are very underdeveloped, the only one which is actually impressive is that of the King of Spain. Editing lacks pace, there is no climax and most of the time I wondered where all this is going? Ridley Scott should have directed this film and he'd make a masterpiece.

Kill the Irishman (2011)

No no

[3/10 · 12 November 2011]

I don't know who has done visual effects for this film but as a professional in this field I can say that its not done well. The very first explosion scene screams CG and I could not help but notice more and more faults with this film and not just with effects. The shot in the end when he gives the boy the cross is so predictable that I laughed to myself. The overall acting is mediocre, I lost interest somewhere in the middle but forced myself watch it till the end. And I don't think budget has anything to do with the quality, the one who should take the fall for this failure is the director. To produce something this uninteresting with such cast is a crime. I don't recommend it.

Ararat (2002)

Ararat (the real one) deserves better...

[2/10 · 3 July 2009]

I am sad to admit that Ararat is a cinematographic failure. The only scenes which I enjoyed were of Archile Gorky's played by incredible Simon Abkarian. The storyline is confusing and disorienting, "movie inside the movie" concept is very hard to pull off even for a accomplished filmmakers and Egoyan fails miserably at that. I find it difficult to watch how actors such as Plummer and Aznavour struggle to believe their lines and I don't blame them. The script is just bad. I wanted to show this film to some of my friends who are not Armenian and know little about the genocide, but after watching it twice myself, I realized they will not learn anything from it. One day a film will come out about the Armenian genocide which will touch people's hearts and fight Turkish propaganda machine at the same time. Ararat of Egoyan fails at both.

Aram (2002)

A personal story of a son

[8/10 · 26 February 2005]

The film just finished screening on cable TV Hot in Israel (February 26, 2005) which is in itself surprising, due to the content of the film which deals with subjects such as Armenian genocide and the assassination of Turkish secret agent in France by an Armenian freedom-fighter with the help of Kurds. With Mossad being the one behind the Turkish secret service's arrest of Abdullah Ochalan (Kurdish leader) in Europe - and with this film being shown in Israel - in itself makes an interesting statement. It is also a personal story of a man who's torn between the cause he is fighting for and his family. I must say I don't have an impartial opinion on this film because I am an Armenian, and the story relates to me in a special way. The film is certainly very well made, with cuts between two story lines, beautiful cinematography and acting. Its a rare piece of cinema, especially because not that many films are being made about the tragedy of Armenian people in Ottoman Turkey (over 1.5 million perished), with Ararat of Atom Egoyan and Mayrig by Henri Verneuil being the exceptions. I think more films should be made about this, especially if they are as good as "Aram".

Renegade (2004)

real disappointment

[7 August 2004]

I dont know what the director had in mind when he made this film, casting good actors and working with very good cinematographer and photographer, not to mention very well done computer graphics (i am saying this as a professional), however, none of the above has anything to do with the plot, which is a joke, truly, the story is so partial and lacks any consistency, that its amaizing to observe. The computer graphics (matrix style, amaizing post-productions and special effects) have nothing, and I mean, NOTHING to do with the story itself. Why would he glue together things which have nothing in common is a mistery to me. I loved the scenery, some shots are truly beautiful, especially shots with the eagle and fly-through sequences, but one would not spend over an hour and half waiting to see something beautiful (watch National Geographic channel instead). As a movie- this is a total miss, and I wonder why would Cassel and Lewis bother making a western which makes zero sense.

Shelter Island (2003)

its a total waste of time

[1 August 2004]

I am sorry I wasted my time watching this film, with all due respect, there is NOT one positive thing I can say about it. Acting is terrible, plot is as equally lousy, there is no cinematography involved in the production of this "film". You better off watching TV. I don't know who is the "director" but I think world would be a better place if the money spent on the production of this "thing" would go to someone with bit of talent and innovative thinking, because this film provides ZERO entertainment. All that "corporate" brands we are being preached about, have nothing to do with plot, I really failed to find a concept behind the storyline, moreover, don't have a slightest clue what the director was suppose to achieve with this so-called "movie". Its so painful to see such a waste of money...

Dzayn barbaro... (1991)

First work by the director

[8 November 2003]

I actually took part of the team which was making this film, working in art along with other 2 Armenian artists (one of them lives in Paris and successfully exhibits in Milano). We filmed a lot on the locations in Armenia, including incredible Midlle Age monastery settings. I think the film is an interesting piece of work, full of symbolism and searching for answers to eternal questions asked by a man puzzled by faith yet wishing to go beyound religion (Armenia being the first Christian country (301 AD) has a long routs, religion being part of the culture for 1700 years). There are many scenes (beautifully filmed) from the midlle age Armenia and wonderful performances by Michael Pogossian and the director himself.

As far as I know the film was not distributed in the West so a copy will be a hard thing to find. But if you have connections in Yerevan, its possible to find the film there.

Rouben Malayan

The Crimson Rivers (2000)

All thumbs up!

[8/10 · 18 September 2003]

Amazing film, beyond any doubt, Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel give superb performance, the plot is fantastic. I loved it. Best watching it in original French version with English subtitles, not the dubbed one. Excellent thriller.