kevinalvarezp Reviews

Inception (2010)

A magnificent dream that falls short on its execution

[4/10 · 11 January 2011]

Christopher Nolan has undoubtedly become one of the most important names in the business of contemporary filmed entertainment.He has taken us to places we did not know existed.He singlehandedly revived a languishing cartoon franchise and placed it in the pantheon of unforgettable classics. In his new adventure he takes on the uncharted universe of the subconscious. The premise in its scope is intriguing and unconceivable ambitious.he relies on the best movie making talent only a major movie studio can buy to achieve his goal.The special effects are terrific, the acting is pretty good, and the dialogue is also good, but the journey that started as an unrestrained adventure into the realms of the human thought generating universe turned half way thru into a tale of semi confusing scenes. The story never comes anywhere near of seducing its audience. The emotional factor is completely absent.The movie is worth watching and it does stand out mostly due to lack of quality competition, but it should not be an Oscar nominee. Christopher Nolan has done better work.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Flawless Cinematic Art!

[10/10 · 25 December 2009]

Christopher Nolan has effectively raised the bar for movie makers everywhere (Including the big American cojunas)in terms of execution, and for movie goers in terms of expectations. This film works on every single level. The cast is excellent.. Christian Bale delivers again as the best batman the franchise has ever produced.Although not perfect, Mrs Gyllenhal does a very good job as The Vigilante's love interest and not as aesthetically appealing as Katie Holms but much more credible .Aaron Eckhart comes as the dark horse of this film, who would have thought Mister cool had those types of acting chops in him? credit to the whip of Mr. Nolan.The screenplay is pure gold!The dialogue are cunning, straight, and emotionally mature.you couldn't find any cliché or meaningless word in here. It is a pity this movie did no receive the academy nomination, it has been a long time since the last time i watched a movie as good as this. In true, Mr Nolan has anointed himself new king of Hollywood, This movie is indeed pure cinematic art,it has action, drama,comedy, it has everything, and it also has a great uplifting ending. Hail to the new king of movies and keep on making them!

There Will Be Blood (2007)

Short of brilliance.

[5/10 · 25 March 2008]

The movie starts out really well.The casting is great, the settings are believable. The dialogue are very good, they inform you, keep you intrigued. The direction is flawless, but thats were the positives end.This is a character driven story, you take Daniel Lewis out of it and you end up with a mediocre and dark story.Dano nails his character at the beginning but overacts a bit towards the end, you don't really get to learn much about his character except that he is an avid and fanatical prophet. The story is appealing and fresh until Plainview achieves his goal of becoming a millionaire, after that it falls into a tale of unmotivated excesses, crime, and murder, and yes, blood! An epic of this scale usually offers a couple of sweeping vistas but not here, wrong address. The movie feels a bit confined throughout. It doesn't really have a clear message and it doesn't have any redeeming qualities.Still, it is a movie worth watching but as far as calling it a masterpiece, well, it isn't the case, it falls way short of achieving that goal.nevertheless, it is worth watching.

Disturbia (2007)

A major plothole!

[1/10 · 25 August 2007]

The movie starts out in the right direction, great casting, good acting, terrific cinematography.the director manages to generate a great deal of suspense and intrigue during the first two acts. The main characters are fresh and compelling, the scenes are well executed and efficiently edited, the sets are on the money, the narrative is light and yet, solidly entertaining. how can this not be a good movie, right? Well, what started out as a promising thriller, turned, all of the sudden into a mangle of predictable scenes previously seen on other movies, yes, this director actually butchered the main climatic scene with a series of clichéd situations, and worst, looses all sense of logic on his way to the final resolution, the two kids jumped into the pool, kale asks the girl to call the police, did she call? If she did, where did the police go? Kale's parole officer was at the scene with enough time to finish his hamburger, look around, and get assasinated by the former meticulous, and methodical now turned into savage barbarian "lets just kill the entire neighbourhood" serial killer. Thats what i like to call, a major plothole! That lack of logic is what ruins a good movie folks.....

Tsunami: The Aftermath (2006)

Best Documentary yet!

[10/10 · 24 August 2007]

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the tsunami tragedy was re-enacted. The acting and the writing stand above the other craft.The execution is compelling thoroughly. It boggles my mind to find so many negative reviews on this site. This film in my opinion presents an honest and comprehensive account of the tsunami tragedy and its aftermath, it explores the causes, it attaches blame without luridness, it visits the foundation of the family as a institution in the midst of a life altering crisis, it is emotionally compelling, it is educational, it is thought provoking. This film made my everyday problems feel like a picnic at the park.

I didn't know Tim Roth was that good.

For Your Consideration (2006)

What a hack!

[1/10 · 5 August 2007]

The only reason i am commenting on this pile of garbage is the fact that i have absolutely nothing to do. This movie was boring beyond belief.I as about to walk out when i realized I was in my own home, so, instead, I started calling my friends on the phone and turned the sound of my television down. The acting is forced, the direction is contrived, none of the actors on this movie seemed to have had a good time while making this film. I don't know why some people like this director's work, I actually saw Thank You for Smoking,and came away feeling just about the same way I now feel about this nonsense! was this supposed to be funny? I actually found it a bit depressing to be honest!The dialogue were banal, and trivial, most of the bits that were supposed to be funny were on the nose.......

I am a bit upset quite frankly, for having wasted 5 dollars of my hard earned money on this garbage, i know i will never get them back but, I will never rent a movie with the name of this hack of director attached to it! Unless you are a total moron, stay away from this pile of depressing junk! I cant say is the worst movie ever to come out of Hollywood, is not that bad really, is just depressing!

This director is just a hack, he could have done something better with what he had....

The Road to Guantanamo (2006)

Produced by Al-Jaazeera?

[1/10 · 4 August 2007]

Where do i begin? Three Pakistani descendant Brits go on a trip to Pakistan for a wedding,right? The story, based on true events, takes place a few weeks after September the 11th. Once they get to Pakistan, they decided to travel to Afghanistan,allegedly, to help, here are my questions:

Q- Help how?

A-They even said they had decided to stayed at the Mosque right after arriving in Pakistan because they couldn't afford the local hotels. How can one help anybody with no money, and no means of transportation?

Q: How come they never become friends with anyone in Afghanistan?

A- They said they didn't speak the dialect and yet, they were able to make travel arrangements, buy food, and find lodging but, when it came to talking to the actual fighters, well, they didn't understand the dialect,right!

Q-: Why do they go to afghanistan during the outbreak of a major international conflict?

A- There are very few groups people either naive enough or selfless do-gooders capable of such occurrence, Prists, red cross volunteers, or retards. They were none of the above, this characters, all had criminal records back home.

United States was at war during this episode fellas, and I believe most of this people are nothing but gangsters, deserving encasement,and some even torture. American people are the most civilized group of individuals i have ever met,they listen, and more importantly, they respect the right to individuality. This Documentary is nothing but a self promoting biased vehicle for a liberal anti-American filnmaker, having said that, and assuming the innocence of this kids to be true, nothing would have happened to them, had the chosen to stayed home...

This film is anti- American garbage! So much, I thought I was watching a war show on AL-Jaazeera television!

The Ref (1994)

One of the best comedies ever!

[10/10 · 28 June 2007]

The subject matter is just one anyone can relate to! The casting selection couldn't have been better. The direction is just on the money. The acting is superb!Everyone here excels;Dennis Leary nails it as the fugitive trying to find his way out of failed robbery attempt!Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis are superb as the dysfunctional and argumentative couple.The lightning is pitch perfect.The dialogue are ordinary and yet, cunning.The music is really cool also.It is not a movie for the faint of heart, its irreverent, and it does celebrates bad behavior, but, it also have a redeeming family lesson towards the end.

Ted Demme was without a question, a master of the comedy genre.

I never get tired of watching this films, specially during the Christmas season!

Deliver Us from Evil (2006)

Incendiary!

[7/10 · 19 June 2007]

I have never seen, or heard anyone, bringing forth the high level of charges against the catholic Church that this documentary brings to the screen!I was raised a Catholic in a Country where over 95% of the entire population are devoted to the religion, and this story most definitely has come to test my faith, not so much in the Church as an institution, but on the people that runs it. I've always had my own reservations about the mental fortitude of the Catholic priesthood to uphold their pledge to celibacy, and still carry on their duties with the expected dignity and grace placed upon then by millions of followers! The time may have come to realized that this individuals are just regular people like the rest of us, capable of good and evil all the same ,and like most of us they too are carriers of primal urges and yet, unlike must of us,sometimes, due to their institutional restrains sometimes,they succumb to it, in some cases, damaging the welfare of others, and hence, their own credibility and that of the faith!

I will still go to church, but, for one, im not looking up to no priest!

Shame on the religion for not addressing the two victims that flew thousands of miles (From America to that Vatican) to deliver their concerns! Shame on them!

Great documentary! An eye opener!

Deja Vu (2006)

Really Entertainning!

[6/10 · 6 May 2007]

Tony Scott knows how to tell a story! Beautifully shot!Great casting! Best i have seen from Denzel in a very long time! Caviezel , and the girl are both good! Val Kilmer is excellent this time! Only one tiny little detail! There is one miniature shot at the beginning of the movie that just doesn't measure up with the rest of the film! All in all, it is a really good effort from Scott! Very original and well executed.

Worth watching fellas!

Most entertaining action flick of 07 and 06 too

A movie kids can watch.

Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

A predictable Turkey!

[1/10 · 1 May 2007]

A slow, tedious, and one dimensional movie! Good casting with clichéd dialogue, boring story line, and soulless direction from Mr Marshal! The conventional and predictable story of the most famous form of prostitution from the Asian continent, lacks heart, new insights, and depth. The lead character looks out of place due to her tiny phisique and phony looking contact lenses. The lexicon employed by the geishas sounds forced and a bit too sophisticated for their limited exposure in the ways of education. The story goes on and on for hours trying to convince you this little, boring, flat chested Asian girl is the ultimate Geisha, they actually say in the movie "She is destined to become a legend" i say hardy the case! The movie is just plain boring, it is beautiful to look at, it has a very few interesting moments as many as you may find by going out for cigarretes. Basically, if you don't believe the messenger you wont believe the message, and this girl didn't fill the shoe! Borin, boring, skip it!

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Classic case of a Missed opportunity!

[1/10 · 10 April 2007]

I waited for over a year to see this much anticipated movie! Marie Antoinette was suppose to be the last remainning gem needed to crown Sofia as one of the best current Hollywood directors , instead it may have turned out to be her "Heaven's Gate". The movie is just a dumbfest! Sofia tells a story about absolutely nothing! She opted to disregard any historical or cultural reference of the time that may actually be relevant to our current lives! The movie is all about mood, and costums, It doesn't try to achieve anything,and it doesn't really try to entertain either! I read somewhere that before the movie started principal photography, Francis Ford actually told Sofia to go out there and make the movie she wanted to make!It became so tedious and painful to watch that after awhile I started to look forward to the beaheading of the young queen and maybe with a little luck the French too would get the head of Sofia Coppola and the producers of this travesty! (WHishfull thinking I guess) It just sounds to me like daddys little girl from pot smoking mtv generation is pissing Hollywood's money away and missing in the process a great opportunity to educate people around the world about important historical events that may or may not have helped shape the world we live in today! Kirstin Dunst is terrific as the tittle character in spite of Sofia Coppola's shortcomings. The movie is a great music video at best!Thats probably what she should stick with! I will never see a Movied directed by Sofia Coppola ever again, even if they pay me to! I suggest to those intelligent exe at the major studios never to finance any proyect with the name Sofia Coppola attached to it, assuming they want to keep their high paying jobs!

The Good Shepherd (2006)

I ended up getting a massive headache!

[1/10 · 9 April 2007]

This Movie starts out on the wrong note! The worst researched script I've seen in a long time! The casting selection was horrible, even De Niro casting himself as an ailing four star general is a miss! Who would believe a General of that consecuential importance portrayed by an Italian gangster looking actor? He may be able to play a credible Justice Scalia in some other movie, some other day perhaps! The movie itself is slow, pointless, and tedious mess! The worst direction I've ever seen from an a-list actor turned director! Who is going to believe a twenty year old character played by femme fatale Angelina Jolie? What about this kid who played Damon's son? Was he suppose to be gay or what? Neither the screenplay nor the director bothered much to explain to the audience the logic behind of what unfolds on this drama turned disaster, you just have to take a leapt of faith and accept everything as a matter of fact! Joe Pesci appears in one scene not to add more depth to it or to add a new dimension, He only appears so The Character played by Damon Can say "All the foreigners are just visiting here" . Why was Damon's son in Africa hanging out with black girls? was he already working for the agency? Was he living there? Was he working for the UN? was he selling guns to Al Queda? No one knows! The truth is that no one really cared much about this particular guy in the first place! This Mess of a movie goes on forever! You keep glancing at your watch hoping for an end that never comes!The movie tries to take on too much and It doesn't really achieve anything it sets out to do! The biggest irony of all, the bonus features: loads of Deleted Scenes! Thats sickening! It will be awhile before i pay to see De Niro's face anywhere again!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007)

Why is the show off the air?

[10/10 · 3 April 2007]

I just don't understand this executives at NBC! They renew formulaic, boring shows like Deal or Not deal with that annoying bald headed host, but cant give the time to a well crafted, original marvel like Sunset Strip. Sometimes it takes a while for a good show to find its audience and establish itself, take Sainfeld for example! For a guy who gave us The west Wing, The Americam President, among many jewels, Aaron Sorkin I think has not been treated the right way here, he should be given the benefit of doubt!Jeff Zucker should probably know better than that, he is probbably too concern with the numbers he forgot to be a producer! It was probably an expensive show to make sure, but, sometimes you just have to take a risk, especially when that risk involves a genius like Sorkin. Go elsewhere Aaron! Go make some wonderful movies, or go make history at HBO were they think been crazy and writing about your own life (David Chase) is genius! I love the show, it is the only one good thing worth watching at NBC.