isaias adames Reviews

Our Boys (2019)

Gripping and Amazing!! Dont mind the negative biased reviews

[9/10 · 30 August 2019]

I realize now after watching the first 4 episodes that every bad review must come from israelis and their biased political point of view and have nothing to do with the series quality. I am so glad I didnt listen to them because I would have missed a fantastic series on par with Fauda and Hatufim. The acting, specially Mohammed's father, is great and believable, the script and tension are superb!!

Elite (2018–2024)

senseless soap opera

[1/10 · 12 October 2018]

There's no character development since they want to rush the whole plot with so many things going on in only 8 episodes. Are we supposed to buy that the rich racist kid just changed overnight and fell in love with the muslim girl? Just to point out one of the many plot holes that dont make any sense.

A Separation (2011)

Simin was selfish and cold

[10/10 · 19 February 2012]

I have always been in love with iranian movies since I saw Children of Heaven and The Color of Paradise. I was a little disappointed with Song of Sparrows, from the same director of both mentioned films and neither was I blown away with About Elly, despite its critical acclaim. But A separation reminded me why iranian films are among my favorites.

It is true that the director doesn't make it easy for us to take sides, since all characters have their motives and are equally flawed. But I did find myself sympathizing with the husband Nader, which some reviewers called arrogant and stubborn...because he doesn't want to leave his sick father alone and run overseas to start a new life?? Simin on the other hand, seems a pretty selfish and cold woman. I can understand that she was tired of taking care of her father in law, it was quite a difficult job as we can see when Razieh, the new nurse, takes over. But it's obvious there was a bond between the old man and Simin when she was leaving and he gripped her finger and wouldn't let go...How could she not care??

Moreover, when Nader was accused of murder, Simin never supported him and used the incident to get their daughter against him. When Razieh confessed to her that the miscarriage was caused by the car accident and not by falling down the stairs, Simin still made him pay the money because she knew it would make it look guilty in front of her daughter and everyone else. That said, I don't think Nader was without fault, he was selfish too...He made their daughter lie for his sake and was very manipulative of her.

Finally I want to praise the acting, it was all top notch, but the performance of the actress that plays the nurse Razieh was just spellbinding. She was a desperate, poor woman with a conflicted soul and in pain and she really made sure she showed every detail of that soul to us...WOW.

Mon meilleur ami (I) (2006)

a journey of 2 men in the process of finding true friendship

[9/10 · 3 December 2008]

Even though some fellow reviewers have referred as the main theme of this movie the bet made between Francois and Catherine, his business partner of showing her his best friend in 10 days, I think it's quite more profound than that.

It's a story that shows a journey of 2 men in the process of finding true friend ship. It also shows that anybody can have friends, that we all have that person or persons in the world that understand us. Francois was friendless and we can relate to that because the guy was quite unlikeable but even Bruno, in spite of being friendly and kind, was also without friends because he had been betrayed by his best friend and his wife. So these 2 human beings meet in a moment when they are both vulnerable and with a big need to be loved. Love is usually related to your partner, kids, family. But this movie shows how important friendship's love is. Nobody can live without friends, no matter how successful you are, nothing can substitute the feeling of having somebody to call at 3 am. And finally, it shows that friendship is spontaneous, it can't be bought or planned, it just happens. And that's how Bruno and Francois became friends, real friends.

Thank you Patrice Leconte for having portrayed in this movie such a journey that remind us so much of our own journeys in finding friendship.

The History Boys (2006)

Inspiring film about tolerance!

[9/10 · 20 July 2007]

I loved the light-hearted way the students approached the fact that his teacher liked to touch them. If it were an American movie, sues and outraged parents would have followed but the director preferred to show how Sir Hector's students saw him as a flawed human being and appreciated him by his thirst to inspire them rather than seeing him as a pervert as a Hollywood movie would have done. I also admired how natural was approached the homosexuality of some of its characters,rather than showing them as freaks.

This move also reflects the passions of some teachers and how for some of them, it's more than a job and it makes us reassess how little we appreciate the real good teachers and how much they have contributed helping us become the human beings we are.

Yuniol (2007)

A boring and silly Telenovela

[1/10 · 11 May 2007]

I absolutely hated this movie. Even though the movie wanted to transmit some kind of social message, it was done in such a cliché ridden and melodramatic way like a Mexican soap opera.

Also the acting was terrible especially Charityn and her son. That's one of the problems with dominican movies, they use celebrities that can't even act just to attract the masses.

I'm even more ashamed about the positive reviews here which sadly means Dominicans are just being condescending to what's done here instead of giving honest and critical opinions that will help our film industry base itself on quality.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

a beautiful movie about another kind of love, spoilers

[8/10 · 22 July 2006]

This movie is about another kind of love, love of friendship. When the movie starts, it's kind of bizarre the chase of Pete(Tommy Lee Jones)for Melquiades' killer. But as the story progresses we realize through flashbacks the connection they had and we realize that even though for everybody else Melquidades was just another dead wetback Mexican, for Pete he was his dear friend. This shows that a person's value is not based on migratory status or nationality, but on their heart. Also that the journey taken by Pete and the border patrol officer(Barry Pepper), finally made him become human, and see what suffering really was. Instead of being a punishment or revenge, it was really his redemption that Pete granted him.

Brother Bear (2003)

Forget about the flaws, this movie is amazing

[10/10 · 30 April 2004]

Some people have commented about the flaws of the movie but frankly I enjoyed it so much that I failed to see them while I was watching it.

I loved the many messages it teaches: about how someone who mocks at love, later learns what it is all about and then gives the ultimate sacrifice for its sake.

Also how important it is to see things from the other's point of view. In the movie, for humans bears are monsters, but have we ever thought about what we are for them? That metaphor is really amazing.

Finally,it was shocking to see portrayed our need to get revenge, to get even and sometimes without knowing we are out to get who we love most.

Read My Lips (2001)

Who hasn't wished one had the chance to get even at a workmate?

[30 August 2003]

Somebody wrote here that these actors wouldn't have been chosen by american standards. And who cares about Hollywood standards when films like Kangaroo Jack and Old School come out of it?

I am sick of movies playing with the intelligence of the viewer. Who says that I need to see something stupid to be entertained? European, Chinese, Iranian cinemas are the answer to that.

Sur mes levres is a very entertaining film but also challenges the mind. I found it very clever, fair paced and very rewarding. It was hard to guess what was coming next. And also it's a good study of human nature. We are never completely bad nor completely good. It just depends on the situation. We could see that when Carla demanded Paul to help her revenge on her workmate, it wasn't him who suggested it but her. So I don't think that he influenced her, it was just something she had inside her. The situations were all so real, I am sure that everyone who works in an office has felt what she felt. And who didn't wish to have the chance to get even at a workmate?

You Can't Take It with You (1938)

They don't make them like this anymore

[10/10 · 18 August 2002]

I decided to write this comment when I read in somebodyelse's comment that we don't need to reverence on old movies. If all the old movies were like this, I'd never see a new one again. This movie moves you, it has spirit, feeling. There is no greater feeling afer you see a movie, than to feel you've grown as a human beign, that you have learned so many things. It is hard for a movie to make you feel like that but when it does, you feel glad about those hours you spent watching it and thank God for having chosen it.

This movie makes me understand why Hollywood movies became famous because nowadays I wonder about it since much garbage is being made. I've become a fan of 40's and 50's movies and they are yet to dissapoint me.

10/10

Inspiración (2001)

A mix between American Pie and a mexican teen soap opera

[9 May 2002]

I confess that I saw this movie searching for something of what the mexican Cinema has offered lately: Amores Perros(My favorite movie), Sexo, Pudor y Lagrimas, etc. I can't deny I laughed a little bit, but this movie is a big disappointment. Very predictable, forced humor. If you like mexican soap operas, you will enjoy this one.

Wild Horses (1995)

the police and the mob are looking for them, the people unites to help them escape

[9/10 · 13 January 2002]

This movie is fantastic. There are unexpected amazing things which happen at the start of the movie that make up for rest of it and make you feel like you don't need to see further.

It is the story of Jose, a very decent man, not a thief at all, who goes to a bank to ask for $13,314 he was stolen by this bank for 18 years or he shoots himself.

It is also the story of Pedro, the bank clerk who empties all the money in the Bank's Vice-President desk into Jose's bag. After this he pretends to be taken hostage by Jose to help him escape. Once on the run, they realize they've taken 500,000 dollars which belong to the mob. Jose only wants the the $13,314 he is owed.

Joined by a young girl they meet on the way, The Indomables(the untamed), as they are called, begin an intense voyage of friendship, adventure and solidarity from lots of people they meet along the way.

Their goal: Getting from Buenos Aires to a small border town with Brazil, where Jose has unfinished business.

Not One Less (1999)

pure. simple and fantastic

[10/10 · 13 October 2001]

Wow!!! I love this director. He never fails to surprise me. This is a very simple but realistic tale of a girl who gives everything she has to go after her goal. She went to the city practically without money to look for her student. Her struggle is so deep that we feel a knot in our throat as we watch her go through a number of ordeals. She doesn't care whether she sleeps or eats, never had I seen somebody as passionate as our hero, so devoted to a cause.

My Life as a Dog (1985)

humans just want to be loved

[10/10 · 27 August 2001]

There is one scene in this movie that stands out in my mind and I will always remember it. It's the one on the movie poster. Ingemar gets back to the small town after his mother's death and is met at the train station by his loving uncle. They both walk towards each other slowly and his uncle raises him up and hugs him for a while. There's a beautiful background music. No words are needed to describe the love they feel for each other. This movie is excellent, probably my favorite movie mainly because it shows that human beings just want to feel loved, and even though we feel we shouldn't when we screw up, deep down we still feel worthy of love. Even if the story is told through the experiences of a 12 yr old boy, anybody can relate no matter what age, because we all feel that hunger to be loved.

A Matter of Taste (2000)

What starts as a simple job, becomes a an auto-destructive relationship that threatens to destroy both their lives

[8/10 · 18 May 2001]

This movie completely fascinated me. Nicolas, is a young waiter at a first class restaurant where Monsieur Frederic Delamont, a multimillionaire businessman, spots him as the ideal candidate as his taster.

Nicolas' job is to taste all the dishes his boss is going to eat, since he can't eat fish nor cheese. However, the relation between both men starts to get deeper as the old man starts to get obsessed with Nicolas and controls his life. He then bestows on his taster all kinds of gifts. Nicola can't believe his luck, but he doesn't know the stakes he's risking for all this luxury. Frederic manipulates his employee into doing all sort of things and Nicolas doesn't even know why he agrees. At first, Nicolas acts for money, but after a while he falls prey to Frederic's obsessions even though this means destroying his relationship with his girlfriend, Beatrice. She sees how this man has changed his boyfriend and Nicolas doesn't even realize it.

I invite you to enjoy this movie, it'll make you think about how human beings are let into situations they can't control, and no matter how much harm they get out of them, they can't stop playing that auto-destructive game.

Malena (2000)

Absolutely Wonderful

[10/10 · 2 May 2001]

This is just the kind of movie that stays in your mind long after it's over. I loved the way the little kid fought for his heroine. And even though for most villagers she was just the beautiful widow who became a prostitute, he knew who she really was: a kind and desperate solitary woman who men took advantage of and women despised because of her incredible beauty.

The Ennio Morricone's score is just magnificent as usual and just adds more beauty to the film. Just see this movie and enjoy the wonders of a film maker called Giuseppe Tornatore.

Lola and Billy the Kid (1999)

the return of Lola will change the lives of all around him

[8/10 · 28 April 2001]

Lola is a turkish drag queen whose lover is Billy, a very macho turk who doesn't accept he's gay. However he sees himself as the man of the relationship and views Lola as a woman and plans for Lola to have a gender operation so they can get married and live as a regular husband and wife couple back in their native Turkey. Murat is Lola's brother, a youngster who's also gay but lives with his mother and older brother, Osman, who expelled Lola 15 years ago from their home because Lola was gay. However after 15 years Lola's returned to her family home to demand his inheritance's share so he can have the sex change and learns of the existence of his younger brother and gets to know him. Dark family secrets will be revealed and tragic consequences will be lived because of Lola's return.

That's the main plot of this great film, but it also deals with racism, and hatred between germans and turks in Berlin. Also gives us a glimpse of an aristocratic family, who's head is involved with a gay turk.

The Taste of Others (2000)

Don't change who you are to be accepted

[10/10 · 22 April 2001]

This delicious film tells us, that sometimes we judge people for what we expect them to be but we don't give ourselves a chance to get to know who they really are. I thought this was a very simple and deep film at the same time, because through a very simple story it deals with the complicated human nature: our insecurities, our lack of acceptance of ourselves, trying to adjust to the way other people want us to be.

Castella is an uncultured but rich business man attracted to his bohemian english teacher,Clara. She's an actress in her 40's looking for a fit companion. She doesn't even consider him and rejects him in his many efforts to win her love. He tries to fit in her circle but is made fun of because of his lack of arts knowledge. At the same time he deals with a very self-centered and shallow wife. So his life seems very empty, while his driver and bodyguard deal with love issues of their own.

I give it a 9/10.

Amor de hombre (1997)

It's really a bad film!!

[31 October 2000]

There's very little in this movie that makes you film that you didn't waste your time. While you are seeing it there aren't no surprise elements. A promiscuous gay guy whose best friend is the closest person he has and the relationship that develops between them.