Reviews
Oi aparadektoi (1991)
Razor-sharp wittiness!
"Oi Aparadektoi" is, to me, the best comedy series ever to hit Greek TV! Apart from the witty lines, it is a satire on the ever-expanding Greek middle class society (a trait of 90's Greece), its angst and its aspirations. The fact that one of the main characters is a gay man (living with a prolific womanizer!) adds to the groundbreaking element of the series (as much as this tells of the sad, backward-thinking Greek society). Dimitra Papadopoulou is undoubtedly the most talented comedy writer in Greek TV but unfortunately for the rest of us, does not feel compelled to cough up series after series and maybe that is why her scripts are brimming with observational quality. If you are Greek try and download it from somewhere - repetitive viewing only makes it better!
And one more thing: although this is a bitter comment, it is sad that series such as this one were less successful than low-brow, "pure family" brain-dead series such as Para Pente, which relies on silly puns and "all-ages" characters and, if anything, shows that Greeks have returned to the 60's and its "age of innocence".
Please, bring back the satire!
The Exorcist (1973)
This is what cinema should be all about
The Exorcist is one of those films that define cinema as the art it is. It will evoke different sentiments to different kinds of viewers. Admiration and awe for the true movie aficionado. Excitement and horror for those that just want to be entertained but also are open-minded. Disgust and condemnation from those that feel it insults their beliefs (or challenges the intellect). And mockery from those that have an eye for effects and think that green vomit is unacceptable as SFX. For some people it might evoke a bit of everything. Yet, despite all the different reactions (and because of them) it has given rise to eternal debates, theological conversations, has changed the course of horror cinema (and direction) and, to the day, is the only film that has managed to threaten the human psyche to such a degree, either causing people to faint, vomit and miscarry, or democratic 'secular' states banning it for 25 years. This is cinema, not propaganda. It makes you observe, it makes you feel (to the max), it makes you think, it makes you question. For me, a true masterpiece.
The Devils (1971)
Shocking, beautifully elegant, a truly provocative masterpiece that induces raw emotions. 10/10
Shocking, beautifully elegant, a truly provocative masterpiece that induces raw emotions. 10/10
Two years before 'The Exorcist' hits the screen, Ken Russell puts the Catholic Church in the spotlight by filming one of the most disturbing films of all times. Except from being a sheer technical and aesthetic masterpiece, 'The Devils' provokes as a film with its relentless sense of anarchy. Religious hysteria and illusions, the horror of human arrogance and depravity and the love that turns to cherishing that turns to hatred. It's hard to put it in words, one must simply watch it to understand the simple splendor of this film. For open-minded viewers only...
Groundhog Day (1993)
A cinematic comedy of gargantuan proportions
It is no sooner than the credits of this holy film have gone from the screen that the viewer realizes that he was witnessed the birth of a new Method. Not that of Brando and De Niro, but the aural force emitted from the acting of this spiritual leader, Bill Murray. A majestic performance of astounding subtlety that brings to mind Orson Welles.
As Murray cries: "You're hypocrites! All o'ya!", his demented lament - one of a soul trapped in parallel universes of existence - leaves us to ponder on the meaning of life itself and what we make of it. Harold Ramis' direction is a true tour de force, ripping forward to the uncertain (if any) future of the hero. And when Murray jumps of a chapel (campanario/champagnerie), those of us who have not yet suffered a stroke from intensive spasms of laughter, enter a state of shock, a catharsis both on and off the screen.
Arguably one of the greatest comedies of all time, this Kafkaesque interpretation of one man and his weather demands repetitive viewing, until the onset of coma. View and be blessed...