gottfrid Reviews

M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters (2020)

Good surprise

[8/10 · 12 July 2021]

At this point in History, it is very obvious we are fascinated by psychopaths. American movies have shown them in ALL colours possible - we have handsome psychopaths(Dexter), female psychopaths(Gone Girl), sympathetic psychopaths(SOTL), hot psychopaths(Basic Instinct), psychopaths that love to be in the spotlight(The Following), psychopaths that want to save the world(Watchmen), bald psychopaths(Pitch Black), psychopaths that steal the show(The Dark Knight) and, last but not the least, child psychopaths in formation, one of which, the kid from this film. Pretty clever, it follows a young mother that sees ALL the signs of psychopathy in her teenage boy, and decides to do something about it before too late. Being a 'found footage' film of sorts, it's ALL about the recordings she does, so It might put the more traditional viewers off. Good acting and an interesting plot, above the found footage' average, does pay off, though.

Blood River (2009)

Good surprise

[7/10 · 2 May 2011]

When I see a low budget production(that shows) with clever directing and writing, excellent acting and a touch of "new", I feel like sharing my opinion, because certainly it was a nice surprise. I picked it up at local video rental thinking it to be a stinker, or an exploitation film of some kind. What a surprise. A supernatural thriller, and one that, budget considered, delivers.

It works as a religious version of The Hitcher - actually, it seems like it was written by 80s icon Eric Red.

Acting by the not so large cast is way above average, my compliments to all of them. The actor who played Joseph was quite effective, he surely deserves more chances in the big screen. The girl was beautiful, and could act as well. The guy who played the husband also delivers effectivelly.

In a way, the direction has got a touch of Katryn Bigalow in After Dark - the film is pure 80s and I will probably look for more films of this group.

Alternative cinema is not totally lost. It seems to have found its way, when we see films like those. Guys, you did a good job.

Os Trapalhões na Guerra dos Planetas (1978)

Lame...

[1/10 · 18 September 2007]

This movie is actually a very bad one.

I saw this as a kid in Brazil, and I did like it. But I was about four years old... Today, all I can say is that it is a pile of crap.

The Tramps, who are the Brazilian Three Stooges, made some decent low budget comedies in the 70s and eighties. They used to be talented, in their own way. But sci-fi wasn't their cup of tea, obviously.

Im surprised that so many Americans posted comments on this film here on IMDb. I guess it happened cos this film somehow got into some of the "worst of all time" polls(fairly...).

All I can remember are endless fight scenes, slow motion scenes, terrible music, and un-funny jokes...

The King's Guard (2000)

Cheap and terrible.

[15 October 2003]

Well, they had to make a period piece without expensive locations, crew, or even horses, that they couldn't obviously afford, and with some reasonably well known names, and that is what you get with this one. I couldn't stand more than 40 minutes of this. English accent was too pushed. I like Roberts, but he is not much on screen here. His top billing is more a marketing stunt. If I remember correctly, he is not even main villain. Ron is also an excellent actor, also wasted. The whole thing sinks... I will try to remember this film when I hear people badmouthing Kingdom of Heaven or Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. I love low-bud films, but not when they are so poor and uncreative.

The Informant (1997)

The best of its kind, so far

[19 August 2003]

This is arguably the best film there is about the troubles in Northern Ireland. Unlike films like Michael Collins, or In The Name of The Father, in this movie the IRA members are not shown as the romantic quasi-heroes they are thought to have been ages ago, they are shown as what they really are now: terrorists, capable of destroying the lives of not only their enemies, but also of many irish families who try to follow the normal course of their lives. The informant of the title is an ex-IRA assassin who makes a deal with the police, and gives the name of his employers. He and his family are then considered traitors of the "irish" cause, even though his wife, being more influenced by anti-brit propaganda, was against the so-called betrayal from the start. But she fails to escape the turmoil that follows: the poor girl is even raped by an IRA ganglord, as some kind of punishment for their betrayal, in a scene that certainly does away with the romanticism that can be expected from such a theme. This is certainly a view of the subject never shown in recent films about the Northern Ireland troubles. At the end of the day, unlike other similar films, there is no "moderate" faction of the IRA to solve things up, no Daniel Day-Lewis type guy to save the day, but only the feeling that things go on unsolved...

Grunt! (1983)

Awful Italian film from the eighties

[1/10 · 12 March 2003]

The 80s seem to be the point of origin for the best entertainment of all time - and also part of the worst. The 80s gave us Back to the Future, the Indiana Jones franchise, Ghostbusters, etc. But also from that decade came the cheap zombie films from italy, the teenage slasher movies of Jason and Freddy Krueger(with the exception of the first of each franchise, that were pretty good) an those low budget comedies that no one in regular domain of conscience can watch without showing signs of disapproval. Among these last, Grunt. An awful comedy about awful primitive men(awful actors, too) and primitive discoveries, this is certainly the un-funniest movie I've ever seen in my life. And until now it stands, certainly one of the worst of all time.

Alien 2: On Earth (1980)

Unofficial sequel to Alien

[11 March 2003]

Well, I´m glad other people have seen this movie, because for once I thought that I had imagined it. I went to the movies that day thinking it to be an official sequel to Ridley Scott´s Alien, and I was only 9 years old. I saw the first Alien when I was seven, my mom had to bribe the theater´s clerk in order to let me in, because, in my country, at that time, those type of horror films were restricted for people over 16. But she knew that I, an early fan of sci-fi, since the age of five, would love the first Alien, and actually I did.

So, I went on and decided to see Alien 2 as well, a few years later, unaware that it was only an italian flick, with no connection whatsoever to the first one. If the first Alien happened to be an experience in terror, due to the masterful editing and camera work(you never see the monster, but you feel its menacing presence), this one was a major experience in gore, because the monster itself, that comes off some rocks that fell from space, looks like a blood jelly of some kind, that penetrates human body and melts its victims, producing more blood jelly. The only survivor is the hot female lead, who, due to some unexplained mind capacities, is spared by the jelly-monster. She and the monster are the only survivors, since everyone else is destroyed, in the end. Some of the most horrid scenes of the eighties´ cinema can be seen in this low budget experience. Among them, a little girl has her face "eaten" by the monster, some of the cave explorers literally explode in contact with the monster, including one of them who melts to the point of losing his head. Really horrible, and no fun...

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Best drawn full lenght cartoon of all time

[10/10 · 4 December 2001]

Completely different from Disney cartoons, specially recent ones, this is surely the best work by Don Bluth, and my favourite full lenght cartoon of all time. Don't expect a musical with nice little fluffy animals singing and dancing, but a creative drama, with a lot of suspense, mystery, action and even tragedy.

Funny how the era of drawn animation ended with another Don Bluth cartoon, Titan A.E. The guy who had the guts to walk out from Disney and start his own company, to try and go to a different way in animation!

And this film paved that way!

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Good film, no surprise

[6 November 2001]

A good film, but really predictable. A couple is haunted by a girl who had an affair with the husband, years before. The she-phantom seems to be trying to tell the wife something, like a warning. What do you think it is? Who do you think has murdered her? Well, but its worth a try...

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Great popcorn movie...

[20 August 2001]

As a second version of Jaws, this is really a great shot, and an even more scientifically correct one: here, opposite to Jaws, sharks are mean because they received some genetical alteration that enlarged their brains, not because they enjoy eating surfer´s legs and naked late night swimmers. And the rest is history, I mean, the rest is a lot of action, and almost no history at all(is that a prob with any of you?). The screenplay is surprisingly well-done for a recycled movie, and the audience is surprised all the time: characters that you would expect to become shark's food in the beginning of the movie will survive till the very end, and others will die before you can spell "movie star". LL Cool J is an audience favourite as the ex-preacher turned cook who gives the sharks a hard time, Sam Jackson and Michael Rapaport do the usual job of earning their salaries, Tom Jane, as the "macho" shark tamer(would anyone believe that he doesn't kill not even one single shark in the whole movie?)is not compromising and Saffron Burrows is worth her reputation as the cutie with "incredibly large cheekbones" and delicious english accent.