grigoraaakis-889-295918 Reviews

Fellow Travelers (2023)

A romance throughout queer history

[9/10 · 2 June 2024]

It took Hawk forever and a day to admit it out loud but finally he did. "Fellow Travelers" is a journey through queer history from the early 50s through the 60s where they were prosecuted from any federal position and work throughout the whole AIDS crisis and the whole gay movement. It is a personal story of two men falling madly, deeply in love, where Bailey's character clearly whould have sacrificed all for Bomer's character but Bomer's character sadly never finds a way to balance his life and let it be lived according to his desires. A heart-wrenching, eye-opening mini series, very educational and very emotional. I love these two men so much, Bailey's Skippy should be protected at all costs, and my heart aches for the both of them. What a series!

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

Lanthimos back to his roots

[8/10 · 1 June 2024]

Weird, awkward, oldschool Lanthimos is back! His latest movies were extremely commercial, and now he's back to his roots with this low budget anthology of a movie. Three extremely crazy episodes that feel like Black Mirror episodes, "Kinds of Kindness" is a movie that explores human relationships with a significant other, with a boss and employer, different power dynamics of each relationship and the power that sex has in our lives and in the formation of our relationships. It's an absurd movie, very weird, and you vibe along with it realising that nothing is gonna ever make total sense and that's fine. I liked it a lot but it surely is not meant for a wide audience.

Challengers (2024)

A very hot movie

[9/10 · 2 May 2024]

"Challengers" is a film that you watch with all your senses and that's how it works perfectly. It's a movie clearly about lust and drive, and passion and it all portrays that in the form of an obsession with tennis. The boys, both the male protagonists are obsessed with Tashi and Tashi is actually obsessed with one thing and that is tennis. Luca Guadagnino commands the camera fantastically in this and creates a universe in which tennis is a perfect allegory for a relationship. It's beautiful, it's raw, it's full of passion and it's actually very hot! "Challengers" is a very horny movie and that says a lot given that there's no sex in "Challengers". Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist have an electrifying chemistry and Zendaya simply shines throughout as the absolute obsession. What a perfect little movie. The last act is pure cinema! The final scene masterpiece!

Strange World (2022)

Disney should be bold like this more often

[7/10 · 22 April 2024]

A very ambitious movie made by the "Disney" studios. Reading all the reviews I felt like it was bad movie. On the contrary "Strange World" feels like an ambitious movie, with a very interesting plot, a very fresh and original idea from a studio that used to be bold. This sure is fresh, and it tries to mimic many adventure movies, sometimes it misses but it mostly succeeds in creating the world. The generational trauma seems like a pattern Disney decided to examine lately, where they've made many movies with the same themes about family bonds and relationships. "Strange World" is a turn at the right direction, they just have to find a better way to execute their ideas. It feels current, it feels modern, it feels real. We need more of this ambitious tales no matter the end result. This is the path the studio should be following from now on.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

Unnerving, bizzare and harrowing!

[9/10 · 12 April 2024]

Unnerving, bizzare and harrowing. I had no idea this would bave been such a disturbing film. Lanthimos has his unique style of cibema, and all his stories can be viewed amd explained with many ways,but "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is actually maybe his most disturbing. What I love about his cinema is the way that he films the most peculiar movies but everything that's going on on screen makes sense or serves a purpose or can be explained some way. Thematically this movie is pretty straightforward but then there are so many things that can be the subject of hour long discussions. "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is not an easy watch, but I'm glad I did watch it. It took me by surprise but it sure did ser forward the cinematic universe of Lanthimos.

Wish (II) (2023)

A tribute to Disney but a weak fairytale

[7/10 · 7 April 2024]

"Wish" is a very Disney movie. What I mean by this is that it feels like it was born out of the Disney idea that " when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true". This is the entire Disney philosophy. So they thought what a better choice for the 100th anniversary to make a movie celebrating their core idea. "Wish" pays a homage to many of the well known Disney tropes, it has numerous Disney easter eggs and it has a plot that is exactly on point with the idea of wish making. Sadly though the songs are weak and they lack that beloved Disney magic and the villain is not villainous enough. He is more of a new wave Disney villain. The protagonist is based on a typical Disney Princess but sadly lacking all the charm her predecessors have. "Wish" works only as a tribute to the studio and its many fans, but as a fairytale animated movie is pretty weak. Beautiful, imaginative but lackluster.

American Psycho (2000)

Christian Bale is an "American Psycho"

[7/10 · 4 April 2024]

Christian Bale gave a terrific performance! "American Psycho" is the definition of a 2000s era movie. I don't really know how to explain it but the whole vibe of the movie is exactly that. I was very confused while watching this because the script and the direction is actually meant to be fluid in the way that it's never really clear if everything we see on camera did actually happen or is happening only in the protaginist's head. It is a movie that can be interpreted in multiple ways. I thought it would have been a more straightforward story but the reality is different. I really did enjoy watching this, but it left me unsatisfied in the essence that I never got the answers I craved. "American Psycho" is in reality a well written movie but one that does not necessarily satisfy.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

An epic finale to a wonderful trilogy!

[9/10 · 31 March 2024]

I don't know if that's the nostalgia talking, but this is excquisitely directed! Great action scenes, great drama scenes, amazing dialogue. A great set of actors, this is back when blockbusters and franchises were huge, fun, serious works of art where everyone involved felt that they're making something that has to last. The companies used to spend a lot of money on them, but they constantly wanted to have the fans engaged. "The Pirates of the Caribbean" saga is an absolute adventure wonder, and Johnny Depp is the undeniable soul of the entire series. You can't look past Keira Knightley though, she simply steals every scene she's in. They are all great and such fun, every actor is at their top game! What a finale to an amazing trilogy! Epic battle scenes, wonderfully orchestrated scenes. What a movie!

Corsage (2022)

A modern take on Sisi's role in the Austrian Empire

[6/10 · 30 March 2024]

Vicky Krieps is the driving force throughout this movie. She is such a strong actor, she commands every scene. She simply shines. A modern take into the life of the Empress of Austria, "Corsage" is a movie on how Elizabeth may have lived her 40s, feeling trapped and having no control of her life anymore. The movie is filled with strong imagery, and Krieps gives a wonderful performance, and everything that she must have felt makes absolute sense. It's an examination of character and of deep feelings more than a show of oppression and entrapment. She is cahedy and melancholic and she feels like she is the inage of the empire without having a real role and purpose in it. She writes a different path for herself and tries to escape what is to come in her real story. I couldn't completely connect with the story in "Corsage", but still I'm glad I've watched it.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

The most original idea of a best picture ever

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

"Everything, Everywhere, All at Once" is not an easy movie to follow. It's neither easy to fully grasp nor easy to love yet, still, it is an absolutely fantastic movie! Nothing that happens on screen makes any sense at all, it never takes itself seriously but still the theme and the central conflict of the movie is very clear in this entire chaos. Michelle Yeoh surely had a very difficult task in this, a task to realise a character that has no linear pathway and make her full and real. Amazing performances throughout the cast make this silliness of a movie much more grounded and real. Crazy dialogue, crazy fun scenes. I really can't comprehend how this whole experience of a movie collectively moved the Academy to vote for its win, but I really am glad that they took the chance to once award the most original movie the grandest award of the season. I'm not fully in love but I'm in awe!

The Best of Enemies (2019)

Sometimes we just all need to spend some time with each other

[9/10 · 24 March 2024]

I really like this kind of movies where they tell a story and it's about a certain period of time in human history. I loved the way they chose to tell this story and I really liked how I feel like I really learned something about modern USA. Taraji P Henson gave everything in her performance and I really am in awe of her. I really have come to obsess over her performances. Sam Rockwell is once again the racist guy, and he does it really well, and although I really do hate his character, by the end of the movie I feel like he's been through a long long journey. It's not that you like him at the end, it just is that you get it now, maybe what we all need to understand each other is simply spending just some little time with one another. "The Best of Enemies" is a really good movie!

Normal People (2020)

A real love story

[8/10 · 11 March 2024]

"Normal People" is a TV series about two people that are madly,deeply in love with eachother but cannot be together. It's a few episodes too long, but the whole point of the series is to explore that human connection, that absolutely perfect connection with another person,where being together with that person is absolutely easy, but because of circumstances difficult to control these two people cannot stay together for long, but it is clear that they're meant to be, and it's clear that they belong together. Paul Mescal shines throughout. His emotional range makes it easy for us to fall in love with him. Both lead performances are wonderful though. Daisy-Edgar Jones is a force in this, commanding every episode. Their chemistry is undeniable and it is because of it that the series works. Both actors exposed themselves throughout this series, gave us so much of their self and it is because of that that "Normal People" acquired the status that it has.

Dune: Part Two (2024)

A stunning sci-fi achievement

[9/10 · 10 March 2024]

"Dune:Part Two" is actually sci-fi at its finest. It has great world building, many world building lores, so many new rules and places to explore. The fundamental things that build this world have their counterparts in our own and that is what grounds this story and helps us find the allegory in it. Dennis Villeneuve has crafted a beautiful and awe-inspiring movie. There are some very beautiful and cinematic scenes, some epic scenes and so much craftsmanship in this movie. Chalamet proves that he is a real Hollywood protagonist, he can command an epic scale film. The entire cast is having fun with their parts, they are all very good at what their doing. This entire movie plays with the thematics of religion and Messiahs arriving to save the wretched. So many visual queues and so many powerful scenes enhance this way of viewing the movie. "Dune: Part Two" works for me wonderfully in the continuity of the lore from the first movie, but it sure has its own thematics. It is an epic scale sci-fi movie and a high fantasy world, but its strength lies in the ways everything relates to our world. It's a stunning achievement.

American Fiction (2023)

A window in the system

[8/10 · 5 March 2024]

The core theme of the movie really speaks to me a lot. This works out as a great comment on whatever happens in Hollywood and its studios the latest years. We are all so desperate to be considered woke that we never get to really connect woth real human stories. Everything has to have an agenda and be a part of a bigger plan. We make choices based on what would be considered forward despite it being mediocre. We think of the way things look but not of how they really are. "American Fiction" is actually a very American movie because the media industry is lead currently by America. It is about the struggles of a black writer in the world of writing fiction but it sure plays as an absolute commentary of the entire industry and the way things are best created. Everything has changed and yet it feels like no steps forward have been made. "American Fiction" is a really fun and small movie yet so brilliantly written and so to the point, that it awakens so many thoughts about so many things. I really did enjoy it that much!

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

A court room drama where you are the jury

[9/10 · 2 March 2024]

Analyzing a crime scene with no evidence, no witnesses and only one real suspect. It's a brilliant story about a horrible incident. An incident that breaks a family but weren't they really traumatised once before? 4 main characters, a mother, a father, a son and his dog. All playing their important part. The audience is the judge that while experiencing this court drama draws its own conclusion. Is the wife guilty of murdering her husband or did he kill himself? Act I and everything is pointing to her, but then again there's simply not enough evidence to think that. Sandra Hüller has simply won me over this award season, both with her part in "The Zone of Interest" and with her role in this movie as well. "Anatomy of a Fall" is a court drama where we all are the jury, we have only the evidence the movie provides, we never get to see what is the reality and what is not. And it is up to us to decide. And honestly the entire plot is about that. Two writers who have their issues. One of them is found dead. Is everything we perceive real or do we see everything through our own lense making it all our reality? I'm really amazed by the script, I'm in love with the dog, I'm in awe with Sandra Hüller and honestly I loved "Anatomy of a Fall". This movie has moved me in unexpected ways.

The Sound of Music (1965)

A timeless classic for a reason

[10/10 · 25 February 2024]

This being filmed on location is what elevated this story to extreme heights. The beautiful scenery and wonderful landmarks being the palet on which they're telling us the story of the Von Trapps. Julie Andrews and her angelic voice is the shining gem of this movie, but this would never have worked without the charm of the children. Every single one of them is doing a wonderful job portraying their character. Christopher Plummer is a perfect choice for Captain Von Trapp. The cast is absolutely brilliant to be honest. The plot and the music are timeless. "The Sound of Music" is the story of a family and how they've survived their hardships through song and how they've discovered themselves through it and how they've become closer and tighter because of it. It's a beautiful timeless fairytale and a real cinematic wonder. "The Sound of Music" is a classic for a reason!

All of Us Strangers (2023)

This feels so personal, yet so universal

[9/10 · 18 February 2024]

"All of Us Strangers" is not an easy movie to digest. It's emotional, raw, overwhelming and absolutely devastating. It made me face many of my fears while reminding me that, life never stops for anybody, not even for a second. You cannot pause it, you simply have to go on. Andrew Scott is a really good actor, so good an actor in fact that it was painful to just look at him. Claire Foy was devastating! She is absolutely wonderful in this movie. Paul Mescal of course was once again at the top of his game and honestly I can't wait to watch more of them all. "All of Us Strangers" feels like therapy in the essence that it is so personal to every one watching. Everyone translates it for themselves. Actually I'm in pain yet my mind is non-stop buzzing right now. What did I just watch?

Fire Island (I) (2022)

"Pride and Prejudice" with a twist

[7/10 · 16 February 2024]

Although this has all the prerequisites to be a really bad, obnoxious, stereotypical gay comedy, it actually works pretty well in the fact that this is a "Pride and Prejudice" retelling. As such its main themes are obvious and its characters become sorta gay editions of the characters we so get to love. It is absolutely crystal clear though that these characters are much more superficial but still having the characters of the classic in mind they kinda become more three dimensioal. "Fire Island" is loud, gay and somewhat funny, it doesn't necessarily work as a comedy that well, and it sure is no rom-com. It managed to become its own thing in the way that "Fire Island" mostly is a commentary of the modern gay society. As such it works superficially yes, but very well to showcase many modern gay cultural truths. Joel Kim Booster certainly has written a very modern movie, fun and simple yet in its own way groundbreaking. Was this European some scenes would have been electric!

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Gorgeous animation but whatever is the plot?

[7/10 · 13 February 2024]

Beautiful animation, with gorgeous landscapes and beautiful images. Miyazaki knows his craft very well. I do understand the main themes of the movie, but the story was told in such a non-cohesive way that honestly it was not easy for me to reach certain conclusions. Although Miyazaki's themes are very well known by now, he decided to approach the war and its results with a different lense making the protagonists struggle with the loss of his mother's life the main plot point. Our protagonist has to learn to exist without a mother in a completely new reality entirely. This is were the heron comes into play, but everything after that honestly I could do without. This magical land that Miyazaki has created in this one feels creepy but not in an aesthetically pleasing way. It's full of fantasy but it never makes me feel like I would easily roam into it. Something in the character design is so unpleasant to watch. Miyazaki's main themes certainly are here but sadly the focus has shifted elsewhere. This movie is one of his that really simply does not resonate with me. "The Boy and the Heron" gets full points for the gorgeous animation but the plot is hard to follow.

The Return of Jafar (1994 Video)

Iago is suddenly the protagonist and that's a bad thing!

[5/10 · 11 February 2024]

Although this is clearly a TV special episode for the introduction to the TV series, this is marketed as a sequel to the beloved Disney classic. The actual real problem with this movie is not the return of the fan favourite villain of the first movie of course. It is the central role their giving Iago. Iago is one of the comic reliefs of the franchise and clearly they wanted to use him in the TV series so they've decided to make him the central plot line of this entire movie. The only problem is he's not such a strong character to base your entire plot on him. The songs all suffer from bad writing and forgetful tunes. The plot is all over the place but the final act with the villainous Jafar is absolutely worth the entire runtime of this movie. Not one of the strongest Disney direct-to-video sequels.

The Holdovers (2023)

This is the definition of cinema!

[9/10 · 11 February 2024]

"The Holdovers"is Payne's proof that cinema is alive and well. This is so beautiful, it's a wonderful film. Heavily inspired by the 70s, the movie shows how two people who never liked each other will learn so much for the other and themselves if they just spend some time with the other person and just listen to their story. A fun first and second half that is beautifully wrapped up by a powerful third act. Everything comes into place at the end and there's just this feeling in the air that you've witnessed great cinema. Paul Giamatti's career defining role, he simply is a powerhouse in this. Everyone in the cast did an amazing job really! This is a movie about entitled young boys and class differences and second chances. And honestly it really touched me. What a great Oscar contender!

No Exit (I) (2022)

A fun thriller-"No Exit" is a one-time kind of a thriller movie

[6/10 · 10 February 2024]

It starts kinda off and then it takes off and actually becomes something very intriguing. There are some sequences that make no sense, the are some very thrilling moments, there are some chilling moments, then there's a twist I couldn't have guessed although I kinda did. And then there's some action, not very thrilling action. And then there's the last act that honestly felt kinda anticlimactic. The ending never felt satisfying. The protagonist is the only character I ever really felt I cared about and that's mostly because of Liu's amazing performance. It is an exciting watch with company. "No Exit" is a one-time kind of a thriller movie.

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Is it history or is it a wake up call?

[9/10 · 29 January 2024]

A disturbing film about the banality of the human brutality. "The Zone Of Interest" is filmed in a very calculated and smart way, making every mundane everyday activity look like a crime against humanity. And as it is, it really was like that in the Nazi occupied Europe. Having as the sole focus of the film the Nazi high commander of Auschwitz and his family, the movie showcases the pure evil that lies in the heart of otherwise very normal people. And having them not show any of the atrocities that have happened in the concentration camps, but us knowing everything that was going on at the time, makes every mundane activity of the household horrific. Even planting new flowers carries a burden in this movie. "The Zone Of Interest" focuses on two persons and their "interests". Firstly it's the father and his constant focus on the concentration camp and Hitler's mighty plan. He has some family scenes to ground him and show that this is just his work for him, but we do see that his work occupies most of his life. The wife on the other hand is focused only on her well-being and her living the grand life with a perfect house that she has designed, and a perfect garden that she cares for and her perfect children. For the protagonists this is their every day life and it's an absolutely normal living. They couldn't care less about the atrocities happening next door. So the movie concludes and you just simply sit there and watch thinking " is this what we have become, numb to anything next to us and simply focused on our best interest?" Is it a historical movie or just a wake up call? I'm not sure, but "The Zone of Interest" sure is one of the best!

Maestro (I) (2023)

Didn't explore every dynamic of this relationship so it never reached its greatest potential

[6/10 · 24 January 2024]

Bradley Cooper's next directorial effort showcases some real craftsmanship but the end result is a biographical movie that makes absolutely no sense at all. We just get a glimpse into Leonard Bernstein's life, but sadly his greatest achievements are not in the forefront. We get to glimpse into his private life, his family and mostly his relationship with his wife. Carey Mulligan actually steals the show with her absolutely wonderful performance. Felicia is a very rich character to play, she had so much to endure. My problem with the plot though is that we never got to feel what their relationship might have been like, we never see more than the surface of each character and so we never empathise with them. Bradley Cooper has done some good things directing this movie but sadly his characters needed more exploring. I simply do not feel like I've learned much about Bernstein. And sadly I feel like I know only a little about Felicia. Carey Mulligan gives so much with her performance but still when the final act happens we're left only with a thirst for more of her character. "Maestro" is desperate to receive praise this award season but it just scratches only the surface of what must have been an interesting life in the Bernstein household.

The Crown (2016–2023)

Long Has She Reigned

[10/10 · 10 January 2024]

"The Crown" is actually a gem in television history. A lavish, very expensive retelling of the life of Queen Elizabeth II. It may not be completely accurate in exploring the life events of the Queen, but it sure works as an inside in the mind of one of the most important women in history. Claire Foy has taken us through a journey in the earlier years of the Queen's reign, and her performance was so powerful and extraordinary that she managed to breathe life into the entire series, she is the forfe upon the whole endeavour is resting. Olivia Colman took over to present a somewhat more firm figure, a Queen that's been a Queen for a while now and knows the job very well. Series 5 and 6 have somewhat shifted the focus to her extended family and children and their dramatic lives. Elizabeth Debicki has stolen the spotlight as Princess Diana, but that is actually very fitting as it is what in reality happened with Diana herself. Series 6 actually was heavily focused on Diana and her tragic end. But as it turns out, in the end, the show runners knew that the only and real focus of the series could ever be one. "The Crown" was first and foremost a series about the person that is wearing the Crown and that is Queen Elizabeth. And the penultimate episode of this series celebrates her, and her long reign and reminds us all why she has reigned for so long. Because as it turns out she was the only person responsible enough to carry the burden of wearing the Crown. And she did so valiantly. Imelda Staunton proves in this final episode that she is a brilliant choice for the older Queen. She has grasped her character magnificently. One of the greatest series ever made!