A little bit later than I wanted to, but I finally managed to see this movie. I actually haven't seen the 1933 version of King Kong, but of course I knew all about the story and I was really eager to see it. Being a commercial movie, this remake was everything that I've expected and more - it really felt like this great adventure - 3 good hours of reality get away. The special effects were indeed amazing and Kong played remarkably. :-) Yeah, they've managed to make the gorilla seem so human - so many details and craft went into it that is impossible not to admire the great work that came out. Naomi Watts is beautiful and need I say, brave! :-). There's all you need in in this movie - great adventure, some funny scenes, suspense, more than one feeling and mighty love that crosses even human barriers.
Reviews
15 Reviews
Cellular
(2004)
praise the mobile technology
29 December 2005
The movie kept me in suspense till the end. Out of all things this movie is a very smart movie. It managed to have a strong and surprising story line, everything fits together quite nicely. The main characters have heroes qualities, they're very brave, spontaneous and resourceful. I don't know how many people (probably very few) would react the way they did in a life and death situation, but probably desperation can make miracles happen. Anyways, it's a very enjoyable movie that you can watch with the whole family. I personally think is a long commercial for Nokia (just like Cast Away for Fed Ex). And for that it deserves a 10. Check out this link after you watch the movie. See where advertisers (romanian advertiser to be precise) get their inspiration from: http://www.iqads.ro/play_clipul_publicitar_329_/connex___priza.html.
Monster
(2003)
...when messed up prostitute meets messed up lesbian teenager
30 August 2005
This is a very glum and depressing movie. But it makes you realize even more that you don't have to judge anyone. We all have reasons, and most of us, very good reasons for acting the way we do. And more, there are circumstances in our lives that we can face or not, depending on the level of self trust at that time. Charlize's character - Aileen- had a rough childhood deprived of warm feelings, good words and right guidance. And that made her the way she was, lonely, bitter and with no reason to go on living. That is until she mets Ricci's character - Selby. I wonder if the situation would have ended differently if Selby assumed some of the responsibilities of the couple herself. But that couldn't have happened cause she was just a child that needed to have fun without any complications. The actors performance is remarkable and the atmosphere is build in the most appropriate way, making it uncomfortable but also deep and tormenting.
Wicker Park
(2004)
for those that want to believe in the power of love...
29 August 2005
I gave it 7/10 because it didn't impress me that much. Maybe to be fair I would have to rise it to 7.5 for the sake of the other people that want to see the movie and are in the mood for believing beautiful stories. What i liked though, is the way the revealing is made, at the right pace and also the way you're challenged to look at the situation from different points of view. I wonder how the story would have looked from the point of view of Rebecca, the girlfriend of Matt at the time he realized he has unsolved issues that should be taking care of. All in all, it's a beautiful, well done story but maybe I am just fed up with all these made to impress you Hollywood love stories.
25th Hour
(2002)
struggle to be the one you want to be...even if you only have 24 hours left
14 July 2005
A film worth watching...and not only one time!!! This movie proved once again that Edward Norton has all the right features to make a movie great. I really enjoyed his character, powerful, onest and human. It seemed to me that this role was somehow similar with the ones in American History X and Fight Club. I felt the same atmosphere and beliefs, the same struggle with the past and the present. All the characters are very outlined and they stand out just by being themselves. And another thing...although one might that in the last 24 hours of freedom you might do all the things you missed till then, well the truth is you just want to leave your things in order and think of a way out. In therms of dialog, the one between Monty (Norton's character) and himself in the toilet mirror is one of the best ever. Absolutely fascinating! Go see this movie! It's a keeper!
Being Julia
(2004)
Don't let anyone put you down
10 June 2005
Very enjoy full movie! I gave it a big grade because it entertained me and let me get out the theater's door with a feeling of power and well being. Annette Bening is amazing in this role and she is the one that makes the movie. The other characters really don't matter. It matters the way she refers to them. And she does it with so much grace and elegance. And I guess this film reaches more the female audience cause all of us recognize ourselves in some parts of Julia. I don't know what is there more to say than to tell you to go and see this movie. A movie in which you'll rediscover Annette, a beautiful atmosphere and a character that lives her life with passion and courage to make the right decisions even if it hurts.
A Love Song for Bobby Long
(2004)
the actors made the movie worth watching
23 May 2005
The story seems to me just an excuse to see John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson display their dramatic features together. Scarlett is beautiful and natural and Travolta tries too hard, although he seems to portray his character very well. This was a fairly good movie with human feelings, with interesting characters and beautiful evolution. Gabriel Mah is a cute one and does a nice job. I would love to see him more in movies with dramatical content. I liked the books quotes, they added meaning and content to the dialogs. All in all I spent two good hours...although it missed the intensity, the ups and downs, the power that I would have liked to experience...or maybe I was not in a very receiving mood...
Requiem for a Dream
(2000)
...high on self-destructive ways to reach your dreams
18 May 2005
INDEED AN EXCELLENT MOVIE! From the cast and their performance to the way it was shoot, the cuts, the close-ups and of course, the soundtrack. Very, very intense movie and this is probably way I liked it so much. The degradation of the human being is so well portrayed with the help of the great performance of Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans. This is the story of Sara - the mother, Harry - the son, his girlfriend - Marion and their friend - Tyrone. All four of them have different dreams and hopes but all of them get destroyed by the same evil: the addiction to drugs whether they are pills or actual illicit substances. They choose the easy way to reach their dreams and that brings them to perdition. You can actually feel the desperation that every character reaches, the hole in which they sink deeper and deeper. Depressive movie (and how else it would have been taking in consideration the subject?) but so powerful and real!!!
...once upon a time there was a bad guy and two good children
16 May 2005
The movie kept me awake and wondering what will happen next. I felt like a kid. Not being a fan of Jim Carey's comedy style, I was a bit concerned that he will exaggerate it all and make it ridiculous. Well, he didn't. And Emily Browning who played Violet could be the next Angelina Jolie. I must confess that I really enjoyed the dark aura in which this movie evolves. One scene of the movie excited the most my imagination. It made me wonder how it would be like if snakes were friendly cuddling and even furry animals. Ultimatelly, the story is interesting enough to keep me curious almost till the end, the visuals are delicious and the characters sparkling with color. Maryl Streep is awesome here. Nice movie to watch in a Sunday morning after partying all night...
The Dreamers
(2003)
...crossing barriers
16 May 2005
I expected to find stranger ways for crossing barriers within yourself and to be more intrigued by this film. What I'm saying, I guess, is that I expected to be shocked and I wasn't. What I liked about the movie was the fresh breeze that brought because of the different, unfamiliar subject for me - the youth of late 60' and another approach on evolution and discovering oneself, throughout the perspective of a twin brother and sister couple and their American friend. All of this involves a lot of sex, games, wine and movie talk, which are delightful. But it feels like there could have been more to it, more changes, more dramatic evolution. I enjoyed a lot the old movie scenes and the way Bertolluci intercalates them with the actual movie scenes. All the visuals seem descended from a beautiful painting especially the ones in which Isabelle is involved.
Along Came Polly
(2004)
...not your usual soap comedy
16 May 2005
I must admit I laughed at this movie and had a nice time for two hours. I liked it because it does not have the usual storyline and happy ending of all the other easy comedies. Therefore I didn't feel misfortuned because all those nice love stories didn't happen to me too. But there's no way to get rid of stupid behavior jokes. They are all over from the embarrassing toilet scene to the embarrassing dancing scene and back. And of course the clichés that make "a good comedy": gay friend, leaving town unexpected, last minute encounter, old lover and so on. But there's the father's quote that sums up the meaning of life in this movie's perspective: "It's not about what happened in the past, or what you think might happen in the future. It's about the ride, for Christ's sake. There is no point in going through all this crap, if your are not going to enjoy the ride. And you know what... when you least expect something great might come along. Something better then you even planned for."
Cinema Paradiso
(1988)
...what influenced you as a kid?
9 May 2005
This movie made me cry because it managed to arouse powerful feelings and thoughts about life - the things you learn from it, the people that have an impact on you, the experiences that build you as a person and the way you understand to live it. Toto, the boy fascinated with the cinema and the old man Alfredo, that shows him around the cinema's secrets at it's beginnings, make a wonderful example of friendship. They help each other, learn from each other, laugh together and enjoy life at its fullest through that one thing that connected them in the first place - the cinema. Italian movies have a roughness and a freshness that make them real, away from clichés and well designed everything as the American movies thought us it should be. This film reminded me of "La vita e bella" with Roberto Begnini, where another boy discovers life (and stays alive) being influenced by a grown up. And if you're looking for more humor and surprising situations, don't miss "La vita e bella".
Finding Neverland
(2004)
a beautiful and instructive story....
5 May 2005
Dreams, imagination, freedom, enthusiasm, peace with yourself! This is how I would describe "Finding Neverland" after seeing it. It proved me once again that beauty stays in the eye of the beholder, meaning that one story is a different story once you allow yourself to look at it from another point of view. The movie shows us where the creator of Petre Pan got his inspiration from. And does it in a beautiful way. I was not a fan of the Peter Pan story, but now I do want to see it again so I can pay more attention to the details. Although this movie made a positive impression on me and reminded me of the fact that we should live every minute the way it makes us happy, it failed to stick with me for more than a second. And I think that happened because it's all just too perfect in the way things happen and that makes it full of clichés. All in all, it's a good movie that deserves to be seen for the revealing insights on the story of Peter Pan and for the nice feeling that it creates.
Man on Fire
(2004)
...the will and power that a goal gives you
20 April 2005
It impressed me because I felt the strainght, power and determination you get once you have set a goal for you to reach. There are no compromises to be made and nothing can stop you! Here, Denzel works his magic beautifully, although his character is kind of a loser. That is until he mets Dakota's character who brings him back to life, back to love, back to fighting. He's some sort of Count of Monte Cristo in a modern version. There's no way for you not to fall in-love with Dakota Fanning for the great kid actress that she is. There are also great supporting roles such as Pita's mother or the journalist which help building the story in a very elegant way. I enjoyed how this movie was shot. Those strong images and dynamic perspectives give "Man on fire" a sense of Mexico's reality. It reminded me of "Traffic", which I recommend you see if you look for a more rough and elaborated Mexico City story with lots of drugs and violence. Bottom line. Anything special concerning the story line. Great visuals. Great evolution of the characters. Great acting. Great passion. All in all, a great movie.
The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
(2003 TV Movie)
...an awfully long movie that had nothing to say
18 April 2005
I thought the movie was flat and insipid. The events that happen in that house - Rose Red - made me wonder and wait for a creepy if not unexpected explanation. In stead I don't really get one. The movie is not creative enough although it has a pretty good start and a lot of elements to play with. For example the origins of the black woman, the girl's handicap, the sexual behavior of the husband and the secrets of the house discovered by Ellen. To sum up I thought it was an awfully long movie that didn't say anything. I recommend you see "The others" if you're into creepy ghost stories that have a smart story line and surprise you in a pleasant way.
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