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Reviews
Cosas que nunca te dije (1996)
Someone said depression?
Ten years after I'm still surprised to see that this film remains mostly unknown, even to some Coixet's fans who have appreciated her latest films. I don't know either why people talk about depression as something related to this film as for me it is the most positive and optimistic that Isabel has made until today. It's true that we accompany some people settled in the border of society passing through their depressions, people who by some reason have problems to match to the world, but every second of this film shows hope and confidence in human condition. All these lives entwined like a web, struggle to find their place and build their own solution to this world, necessarily completed by a twin soul. It joins the message of Chaplin's "Modern Times", the world isn't perfect but we have to live in and human nature is strong enough to go on. It's a tale about love and life, about self definition and identity, about depression and hope, about knowing ourselves. To help Isabel in her aim we find two of the best actors in independent cinema of that moment. Andrew and Lily are simply perfect, they make theirs the brilliant script that, like in the work of Russian master Chejov, only showing us those banal conversations between people, it allows to discover by intuition the real message that underlies the surface: those "Things I never Told You" that contain the real passion of the world.
The Lake House (2006)
You make me laugh
I give it a three, and just because it's always a pleasure to see Sandra on the screen. Keanu reeves is the worst actor in cinema's History having achieved such a success.
I'm pretty surprised how user's votes tend to equalize all films, and it becomes complicated to know what a film is like. At least there are the user's comments, sometimes quite intelligent.
I'm sorry if this comment may disturb somebody, it's not my purpose to provoke. But really I think this is a silly film, the plot taken otherwise could have done well, it's original.
A film to see if you have nothing else to do and you don't want to do brain's work. PS - What about the Pararlel world's theory? Did you see back in the future?.
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
Please, see it in French
Please, the worst crime we could do to this film is not to see it in french. Only for this is worth the effort of learning it.
The first 15 minutes of the film are a lesson of cinema and language, and it's completely impossible to rend the magnificence that this beautiful language gives to this spectacular start, that fits like a glove.
French language and this film, they were born to live together and so they shall remain.
A gem of sweet taste, original and warm.
"Bravo les gars, pour une fois vous avez fait très fort"
Martín (Hache) (1997)
Giants at work
Aristarain strikes back again.
After the beautiful "Un lugar en el mundo", he gives us this film which is nearly a theater work.
He repeats with two beasts of Argentinian's cinema. Cecilia Roth (whom half the Spanish talking world has been in love with), and one of the five best actors of all times, FEDERICO LUPPI.
It's impossible not to think about my own father seeing his personage, with this overwhelming love for his son and yet unable to communicate with. Maybe I've seen it over five times, and still I cry each time when Federico Luppi stands on the balcony talking about the desperation of life after the idea of loosing his son misunderstood. It's the nearest you will get to understand fatherly love if you don't yet have a baby.
The plot is banal, and the filming nothing complicated, just a camera fixed to let all the attention to actors........but then, the hit. What an acting!!!!!. You hardly are going to see something similar, Luppi is a monster, a giant, he fills the screen with a strength rarely seen away.
A must see in Spanish, where you can really judge their beautiful work. The pity is that it would surprise me a lot if the titles are able to reproduce all that complicated and quick talking.
Kin-dza-dza! (1986)
Do you want to laugh about capitalism in another planet?
Please, before seeing this film, let your political ideologies outside the room and just prepare to laugh with this original pearl.
It's fairly unknown outside Russia, and sometimes I wonder if I'm the only Spaniard having seen it....I hope not, such a pity!.
This film is a complete classic in Russia and has even transformed local talking, so don't be surprised if you walk one day by the streets of Moscow and you see two friends who meet and say "Koo!" each other, or if someone is bothering and he is sent away by an "Violinist players, we don't need them!".
The story is fantastic and engaged. It's one of those films who makes you laugh and sit for a while thinking about life. Maybe you don't agree to everything but is worth the reflexion. The filming is direct and simple (you're going to laugh, but not for the same reasons, special effect's lovers) and the acting is superb.
One of the best comedies ever made in Russia.
El día de la bestia (1995)
Clearly underrated
A complete cult film in Spain.
I think Alex is one of the most original talents in nowadays cinema. And not only in Spain, all over the world.
You have to realize what it means to issue such a film, and what a danger you take. How he uses black humour and keeps tension on every scene is incredible. And he has shown that in every one of his films, specially in The perfect crime (a pearl of how to use black humour), 800 bullets and Common Wealth. These are films to take with an open mind, no previous thoughts of what are you going to find. I'm still surprised at each one of his new films.
A masterpiece, but not a film for everybody.
Tesis (1996)
Amenabar at his best
Well, in Spain this film was a real bomb, and threw a beginner and still a student into fame like a ricochet.
I have to say that, and for many other Spanish people it's the same, this is my favourite Amenabar's film.
I know, it is not perfect, sometimes predictable, sometimes dull.....but it's f****** fresh!!!!, it's something new working with old material (it's not difficult to see how he pumped from Hitchcock or De Palma), and more than only a movie about snuff and violence, it's a whole way of thinking about how to make movies and our own hidden desires.
I think that the personage of Bosco it's one of the most charming I've ever seen, he represents better than any other the attraction on evil. And my generation, like Angela who is not able to resist the powerful attraction of danger, was not able to prevent herself to love this mean guy hating him at the same time. Fele Martínez, as his complement does a great job in a character more complex that it seems at a simple glance.
If you want to get real pleasure from your suffering, this is your movie.
The most refreshing Spain has given to cinema in the 90's along with Alex_de_la_Iglesia's "The day of the Beast", two cult films.
Fucking Åmål (1998)
A burning stone in my chest + A WARNING FOR Spanish VIEWERS
Well, this is not a technical comment on this movie, not talking about how it's great the acting or the script. Just have to satisfy my complete need of communicating my feelings about it.
Which is the way I know that i've seen a GREAT film?, because after the end, when the lights are on, I feel severely betrayed because someone threw me back to my real life without mercy.....and that's not nice
For the last 24 hours I've had a burning stone in the place of my heart. In spite of the warnings from another user, I've fallen deeply in love with the two girls, both are charming (my wife's gonna kill me for this comment :-), she's wonderful, but nothing to do, a piece of wood instead of a heart, it's always me who cries in the films) and all the other characters are excellent - Agnes' father is the embodiment of sweetness.
The story is nothing important, it's all just about how feelings are treated. Music is very well used all over the film to help arise feelings and the acting of the two teenagers it's surprisingly mature making you travel from their sadness and their rage to their happiness without any effort. Immages of their faces remain in your own mind well after the end, like Eilin challenging her friends after the conversation in the toilet, the kissing in the car or the perfect expression of beauty in Agnes' face when she ...ejem thinking about her love or hears the feelings of Eilin from her own mouth.
Who may think this is a film about homosexuality, maybe has not understood the film, it's so natural, how could it be otherwise?, they are the only two characters who rise above mediocrity, they have to be together, no matter if they are girls or boys!!, they could not fit anyone else. I still have a doubt if they are really homosexuals or if they are just exploring life and feelings, their future could have told them....if it was not just a film.
The LOVE scene in the backseat of the car is one of the most powerful love scenes (if not the most) in the history of cinema, heterosexual or not.
Just a comment about the stupid US title (Show me love), it's maybe the worst one I could imagine, completely apart from the spirit of the movie. If there's something this film IS NOT, it's a silly teen movie.
A ten out of ten and without any doubt my teen favourite and one of my all time favourites.
PS - For everyone who loved this film and still doesn't know her, I strongly recommend the Spanish director Isabel Coixet, films such as "Things I never told you", or "My life without me" wont disappoint you.
A WARNING FOR Spanish VIEWERS
I have reviewed the film with Spanish subtitles and I'm bitterly disappointed, after having seen it with English ones and doubled into Spanish, I have to say that the Spanish subtitles are a lesson of HOW NOT TO TRANSLATE A TEXT.
Against my principles I recommend the doubled version, much more accurate, the best choice being the Original Swedish with English subtitles.
The Spanish subtitles continuously destroy the spirit of the film. For example, the GREAT dialog in the car, ending by "I don't know - but we're so f****** cool", is translated as "We're so well together"!!!!!?!??!?!?!?!?. And the scene getting out of the toilet, instead of "we're going to f******" is written "we're going to make love", and so on. ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, it has nothing to do with the knowledge of the language or the need of cutting the phrase because it's too long, it's a VERY BAD understood way of "not disturbing" the viewer. A 0/10 to the subtitles.
On the other hand, for those who can't get the English subtitles (not available in the Spanish DVD - why????), the Spanish doubled version is quite faithful to the original (compared to the English translation and the swearwords, quite easy to understand from the original) and the acting of doublers is nice, the only problem is that in that version actors seem a bit more mature than the original where they remain more childish (maybe actors are older). In Spain in general double acting is fine, because we receive many stranger films and fifty years ago when people couldn't read a good effort was done in that sens.
If you want to compare with the English translation you may at
"http://amal.host.sk/fascript.htm "
there you will find what was written at the computer when Eilin was at Agnes room:
You are my sun you shine over me you warm me but I can't touch you! You are so far out I am a little planet which turns around you round round round by all the planets which you never see