esalidog Reviews

The Wailing (2016)

Beyond the standard movies

[8/10 · 20 May 2023]

The cinematic proposal by Hong Jin Na is a horror movie full of twists, even too many, where you can find many of the best scenes of black magic and occultism in at least the last few years. If you are looking for a very long feature film with perfect photography, and enigmas above the obviousness of current horror cinema: Your film is The Wailing.

The director, who was already fantastic in The Yellow Sea (2010), seems to dominate the genres as he pleases, engaging action or horror with noteworthy drama and musicality, or photography.

Very much in line with Thirst (Chan Wook Park, 2009), another of those modern masterpieces that seem to raise the level of horror cinema from Asia.

House of Gucci (2021)

A film about life itself. Excellent interpretations.

[9/10 · 2 September 2022]

Without having any prior interest, I submitted to the film only knowing that Al Pacino was in it, and that it had to do with the world of fashion.

The trip through that time so near and far at the same time that were the end of the 80s and the beginning of the 90s has been amazing.. Especially through the actress, Lady Gaga, whom I don't follow and I found out who she was after seeing the film, very good performance. The rest of the cast is fantastic under the curtain of a Ridley Scott doing "one of Scorsese", well, many clichés of Martin's cinema... A film about life itself, with very transparent characters for the viewer.

The Sandman: A Hope in Hell (2022) Season 1, Episode 4

Better chapter...Lucifer Rocks!

[7/10 · 13 August 2022]

The chapter is much better than the previous one. Especially the music shines, and this time Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer makes the gender change with respect to the comic book character not matter, because her characterization works better than Constantine's. The thriller part of the son of Borgues continues to be the most attractive of the series.

The worst thing was entering hell, the demon that stole the helmet looked like a bit of plasticine...and the camera didn't go into the audience...my opinion is that this is due to haste or budget...the quality of the chapter falls on Gwendoline Christie, who makes Sandman Tom Sturridge less boring..

The Sandman: Sleep of the Just (2022) Season 1, Episode 1

Sandman for everyone...more affordable than the comic-book, unfortunately.

[7/10 · 5 August 2022]

As a fan of the comic-book, it is very difficult for all your expectations to be fulfilled... because the graphic style of the work in its first issues, where these characters were created, were the work of Sam Kieth, whose style is between cartoon and gothic, gave Sandman an identity out of the ordinary in the eighties comic scene.

Well, that touch, in addition to the almost inescapable punk tone of the comics era, is not very common now, and for now, in this first chapter, the work has been more like an inevitable Sandman "à la Burton mixed with elements HBO / Netflix "which are already so common that they are not worth mentioning.

The best moment has been a shot "a la Sin City" where an unforgettable vignette from Sandman 1 is captured.

In general, the chapter is distracting, and with spectacular effects at times and a screenshot imitating the comic, it makes you learn about the world of Sandman, yes, a world that is much more affordable for everyone and flatter than in the comics.

Labios rojos (1960)

Comic Film-noir, brilliant diegetic music...so pulp and cool!

[8/10 · 28 July 2022]

It's incredible to think of a comic-film noir style movie (with lots of "good-taste shots"), with two female protagonists, and that it is such a spicy film by Jess Franco in the Spain of the another Franco (because dictator and flimmaker share last name)....sublime.

Without being a technically brilliant film, I consider it technically special, highlighting the use of diegetic music with the great piano scene, and the jazz club.

Red Lips is a gem that must be understood in its time to give it all the value it has, which in my opinion is a lot.

Swamp Thing (1982)

so far, so 80s, so good, so what....

[6/10 · 19 June 2022]

All the technical failures, including the Swamp Thing costume, many continuity problems, the horrible transitions, some performances ......are disregarded and forgiven, mostly due to the good pacing, and the charisma of actors like Ray Wise, and the super sexy Adrienne Barbeau.

The Flash: Rogue Air (2015) Season 1, Episode 22

Let's leave the door open ...

[6/10 · 29 May 2021]

Although this series is full of plot holes, one of the worst things it is to see how anyone enters STAR laboratories without warning, the door seems to always be open, I don't know if they forget to close it or they simply don't have a door ... The same happens with the facilities where Arrow, Felicity and company save their city, everyone is in a meeting and suddenly someone appears ..... a little pathetic, right?

Arrow: The Man Under the Hood (2014) Season 2, Episode 19

SLADE AND IVO PROBLEM

[7/10 · 2 April 2021]

It's hard to understand why Slade tries to screw up Oliver's life because of choosing Sara over the Asian woman, and yet he leaves Ivo so alone alive on the island when it was Ivo who shot her in the head. ... the truth is that I don't know if they did it wantingly or not, but Slade aka Deathstroke couldn't be more of an idiot , no sense at all...

Constantine: The Darkness Beneath (2014) Season 1, Episode 2

...not the chapter of your life, but full of charisma...

[8/10 · 1 February 2021]

The lack of quality in the direction section or in the more theatrical scenes, is supplanted by the charisma of the main actor and the continuous winks to the comic book series. The chapter has a good twist, and as a gift we see Zed's room, with memorable drawings like the cover of vertigo comic Hellblazer issue 1 by the legendary Dave McKean.

Constantine: Non Est Asylum (2014) Season 1, Episode 1

Ryan better than Reeves as Constantine. The series much better than the movie. Characterization more faithful to the comic

[8/10 · 25 January 2021]

It seemed like a very good first chapter. After the disappointing movie, I have been able to verify that my vision of the comic was correct, and this version of the character marries better with the Delano and Ridgway comic book masterpiece.

Matt Ryan is Constantine, he is because of his geordie accent, he is because of his way of suffering the adventure, and he is because of his hair, yes yes, his hair ... and I don't know what illuminated man thought Keanu could speak like Constantine, suffer like Constantine, or even look like Constantine in his hair.

Lucy Griffiths, without doing the interpretation of her life, remembers those beautiful and enigmatic girls from Twin Peaks, and gives a touch of dynamism to the episode when she acts alongside Matt Ryan.

Good first chapter, let's hope things improve, at the moment very entertaining and with a better characterization than the movie of the same name.

The Swindle (1955)

Unforgettable culmination of Italian Neorealism

[10/10 · 28 May 2020]

It is not by chance that this italian masterpiece is part of the work by Federico Fellini. As one of the writers of "Roma Citta Aperta" in 1945, being drunk from the waters of Italian Neorealism, we easily can see his role in these little jewels of cinema from the 50s.

When I speak of jewels it is because is not difficult to include this work in the same collection as I Vitteloni from 1953, La Strada from 1954 or La Notti di Cabiria from 57. Deep realistic stories with a tragicomedy flavor.

Broderick Crawford's work is outstanding, almost born to act in this work. The supporting actors like Basehart, Massina or Fabrizi do nothing but improve it.

I am surprised that it is less known than many of Fellini's films, because for me it is a clear culmination of Neorealism started in the 1940s by Rossellini or De Sica, with a character, that of Crawford, hardly forgettable for the fan's retina.

10/10

Deadly Outlaw: Rekka (2002)

Rock and Roll non stop!

[9/10 · 16 May 2020]

Miike shows us in this film his outstanding gift for the yakuza genre from the first minute to the last. This time he adds a soundtrack from the Flower Traveling Band, Satori, a Doom Metal key album from 1971 that makes those master shoots, of perfect color, shine without stopping during the cinematographic experience he proposes. His characters flow before the viewer like a handful of impossible to stop Japanese scarfaces. Shinjuku, mafia, escorts, magic and Rock and Roll !!

Antz (1998)

Script, Voices, Message & Music...For Kids & Adults

[7/10 · 12 April 2020]

Without being a big fan of animation movies, the time I've spent watching Antz has been fantastic. This is a magnificent apology for individualism, and no one better than Woody Allen turned into an ant to star in it ... the voices of other actors like Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone or Gene Hackman do nothing but improve the work ... And even more , a magnificent soundtrack with emotional moments and others of laughter such as when Guantanamera or John Lennon's Give Peace A Change sound. Great for kids and adults.

Joker (I) (2019)

Just an adaptation

[7/10 · 29 October 2019]

It´s ok if they wanted to give this movie an Scorsese´s Taxi-Driver vibe, but was too obvious at times... At the same time, I think the Joker deserved a better Origin story...but I hate Origin stories with some characters as Marvel´s Wolverine or DC´s Joker,so...I never liked the classic comic-book The Killing Joke for the same reason, so maybe I´m not the most objective. The 7 points I give this movie are because Phoenix, he is the dude who looks more like the Joker I ever seen, if he wasn't in this movie, it would have been less points..

X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)

BYE BYE FOX!

[5/10 · 7 September 2019]

Well, this was....poor, very poor. Let´s say you´re doing the Dark Phoenix saga, 129 to 137 of The Uncanny X Men series (1980)...Well, it doesn´t matter if you change the plot, but at least would be nice if you think about the fact you´re doing one of the most well known and better sagas in the world of comics... But this changing of the story is not the worst : 1.Beast changing his form to a hairy blue guy: Terrible 2.Instead od his quartz glasses, Cyclops do normal life with a horrible big visor all the time...this kiddy cyclops of this movie 3.Xavier´s wheelchair is just so ugh! (3 wheels!) 4.Mystique and nightcrawler...they look so bad and weird 5.Xavier showing the inside of Jean´s mind to Hank and Mystique was so...ogh...Stupid?

People, this was a disaster, and why I give it a five?

1.Because of the song "Extraordinary Being" by Emily Sandé (even I didn´t hear it on the movie) 2.Sophie Turner is very beautiful, and she was a nice choice for Jean (Famken Janssen was too 15 years ago, but a clever guy thought he wrote better than Claremont and XMEN 3 is even worst than this one) 3.James McAvoy is technically John Romita Jr´s Proffesor X (not in the script of course where he is a drunken dude instead of a great superhero)

This is the kind of movie that harms a franchise of comics. As an XMen aficionado for thirty years: Worthless! Bye Bye Fox!

Leaving Neverland (2019)

MJ PRODUCT of 2019 ... The Worst Crap I Have Ever Seen

[1/10 · 12 March 2019]

One-sided documentary (to give it a name), full of declarations without any veracity, and forgetting the whole idea of presumption of innocence.

The only thing worthy in this stupid and twisty act of vengeance are the shootings of the ittle kids dancing in the eightees. It is a pity they show this cool videos in a documentary like this, beacuse if it was not the case, no one would be interested in even watch them.

The Film is so long and umpleasant that falls badly in every sense.

As for the Wade´s Mother, I have to say she made me laugh, and that is beacuse if you look for information, you´ll see they were the ones looking for MJ just to try give her children a career and not the opposite. Another information of Wade come across he was not able to work properly in the last few years.

So, in my opinion, an act of opportunism and envy, that makes me thing if everything is fair for the sake of making money. I mean going against your word in courts and presumption of innocence, just to make money out of a character who is dead and cannot defend himself....And , even if there is any truth in this movie, stills rubbish for lots of reasons.