zebra782 Reviews

Dune: Part Two (2024)

I thought The Return of The King was the greatest epic film and sequel in modern cinema until I saw this...!!!

[9/10 · 8 April 2024]

Instantly feelings of the greatest epics ever made came to my mind once I was in the thick of watching Dune Part 2.

People who complain in the reviews about a lack of a proper plot or character development are clearly missing the entire point, they are actively depriving themselves of the utter joy and amazement that comes with watching Dune II.

I think enough people have said enough things about just how incredible the whole production was, but Dune II will serve more than anything to cement the legacy of one Denis Villeneuve as one of the greatest film makers of all time and rightly so.

This is truly an astonishing piece of film making that is sure to live long in the memory of the world and will be an all time classic, of that I have no doubt...!!!

Les Misérables (2012)

The running time of this film should be cut short to exactly 43 minutes...!!!

[7/10 · 14 January 2013]

Too long, too boring, alright, alright the artistics were great but these things are common in every film shooting for the awards,though the acting was good, this is the best i've seen from Hugh Jackman yet, however the real show stealer was Anne Hathaway.

Such a short and memorable cameo it reminds me of the greatest supporting roles ever, she is gonna take the home a little statue, that's for sure! But after Anne's character dies in the film, i found no reason to continue watching, just piles over piles of boring music and singing, just not worth the time.

while it is worth the watch for Anne's sake, this film is good but not great...!!!

Burn After Reading (2008)

Tense, Brilliant.

[7/10 · 28 October 2008]

To say that this film is Brilliant is the least to say about it, god i am so lucky i had a chance to see this.

every thing about it is so great the characters, the acting, and of course the screenplay, it's funny, bloody violent and surprisingly very thrilling, i just wish to know how on earth did the Coens come up with this mess? unbelievable.

the stars of show are: 1- Malkovich: a veteran scene stealer, he is still got it and the Coens helped him delivering one of his most brilliant performances in a long time.

2- Clooney: oh my god he is just a natural, no need to tell him what to do at all, just tell him what to say and leave the rest to him, you'll be really amazed.

the rest of the cast are also good, with a special note to Brad Pitt, this is the funniest i've ever seen him.

i didn't expect much from the Coens, hell i didn't expect them to even make another movie this year after their big party last year with (No Country for old Men) i thought they would take a rest for year or two celebrating with their Oscar statues before making such a light production but they did it and they did it fine, really fine.

This Is England (2006)

I haven't seen a movie as good and realistic as this in a long time!

[8/10 · 26 July 2008]

I've just seen the movie and i think the last 30 minutes of it are as great as you can imagine, a fantastic focus on england at the 80's from a very fair perspective of a brilliant writer/director Shane Meadows who really deserved a best screenplay Oscar nomination.

about the acting, i've never heard of any one of them except for Stephen Graham being in some good movies like Snatch and Gangs of Newyork, however they all gave great performances and specially Stephen Graham.

in the middle of the film racism arised with it's ugly face in three or four scenes but thank God Shane Meadows managed to overcome that with a great ending to the film which made me go directly and write this.

Very emotional and realistic to the period "This is England" is amongst British finest films in 2006/2007 season.

The Killing (1956)

That Killing was done!!!!

[8/10 · 6 February 2008]

and it was Stanley Kubrick who has done it in a fantastic fashion considering he was just 28 years old then, who showed an early brilliance in the art of camera control in a once in a lifetime thriller.

i couldn't pick up my ass of my chair when i was watching even though i had to go to the bathroom very bad but i simply couldn't do it, i was into this fantastic show up to my head.

those who say that Kubrick was following the footsteps of the great Alfred Hitchcock, i say to you he was not, Kubrick told the story in a unique manner that even Hitchcock didn't think of, small portions of time one after the other with the complete part for every one, pure brilliance.

the cinematography by Lucien Ballard was amazing and it sure helped Kubrick directed this masterpiece exactly the way he wanted.

10/10

Juno (2007)

Juno is a Tornado!

[8/10 · 6 February 2008]

I saw Juno just yesterday and it blew my mind, it swept away every drama\comedy i've seen in the last 2 or 3 years and i think it will stay with me for a long time. i was laughing till the end of the movie, it is simply undescribable, one of the very best of the year 2007.

Jason Reitman did an unbelievable job, i think he deserved his academy award nomination and this is the least he should've got for this great achievement.

Ellen Page, oh my god that (monkey little butted) TALENTED actress, she is (NATURAL BORN ACTRESS) and Jason Reitman helped her to give the performance of her short but bright career which is expected to get much successful.

This script is the most original script ever written for the screen it so smart that i think it will be as one of the greatest ever written.

this film is a winner and i was so glad to hear that it got 4 Oscar nomination with congratulations in advance for Diablo Cody for his masterpiece.

9/10

Gangs of New York (2002)

10 Oscar nominations yet not a single win i never heard of such a thing, this film is a winner!!!

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

Thank you Marty, you are great as usual but some times life is just unfair, i mean how on earth did this Masterpiece ended up winning no Oscars at all.

Daniel Day-Lewis is a fantastic actor no matter being good or being bad and after i saw this it is better for him to take bad personalities always because he nailed his role to the very bone,i believe he created one of the worst villains ever.

Lenardo DiCaprio is always good and this is no exception sadly for him the film makers wanted the nomination for Daniel Day-Lewis, and i think it was a good idea.

But Cameron Diaz is the shining star here, she is sexy, talented and i think she deserved the golden globe nomination.

The rest of the cast were terrific in every sense of the word, and how could't they and they are with Marty; the one and only.

With a perfect film making, although the film got 10 Oscar nominations for me it is still underrated.

8/10

House of Sand and Fog (2003)

His best performance since Gandhi, Sir Ben Kingsley is giving us free acting lessons!!!

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

Since I saw network(1976) I thought I'll never see acting like that again but my oh my am I just lucky or what ? Without any doubts this is Ben Kingsley's best performance since the greatest Gandhi unlucky for him the year 2003 was the year of fantastic performances by Bill Murray and Sean Penn.

Another interesting fact that this is a debut for the Ukrainian writer/director Vadim Perelman and he absolutely did a wonderful job, because –no offence- if you are making a debut with academy award winning actors such as Ben Kingsley an Jennifer Connelly you've got to have the guts to deal with them the right way and he sure did in a very smart way, Vadim has a bright future ahead of him.

Another unpolished diamond is Shohreh Aghdashloo the surprise package of a really fantastic performance, a very well deserved Oscar nomination.

The story of the film itself is very emotional yet very realistic, and the focusing point is really very interesting.

This is one hell of a fantastic film.

8/10

Kingdom of Heaven (2005)

Classy!!!

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

In a time where Muslims seem to be the source of all troubles Ridley Scott came up with a rare masterpiece that did the Muslims a great justice and that is exactly what I liked about it.

A great effort spent on the film making great visuals and spectacular cinematography, and the acting is rather good; when I first saw Eva Green I fell in love with her, she is not only a lovely face but she is a talented actress as well.

Another point that counts for Scott is his courage in casting some Arab actors; I guess he wanted to share this experience with Arabs themselves, and the outcome was really great.

During the first 30 minutes I thought Orlando Bloom is King Richard but he wasn't, he was Balian de Ibelin an anti-war big hearted personality, I don't know if he was real or it was just an imaginary person but for sure he nailed the film on his own to make an absolutely wonderful film.

9/10

12 Angry Men (1957)

Just watch the first 30 minutes of it and you'll put it far away on the very top of your list!!!

[10/10 · 3 February 2008]

And that what I did, I friend of mine has been annoying me about seeing this film and since the film is not a long one (about 90 minutes) I said why not, and then after just 30 minutes I decided to put this film on the very top of my all time favorite film list.

The fact that the film has been shot in one room blew my mind away, seems very easy to direct huh? But with a superb script and acting Sidney Lumet created one of the greatest films ever made if not the greatest.

The dialogue is realistic and so sharp with a brilliant acting from Henry Fonda and Lee J.Cobb, I feel this film is still underrated even in IMDb rankings.

And that line "well, so long" stayed with me ever since I saw the film as on of the greatest lines ever.

This film is a symbol of simple but great film-making that suggests a man should always return to his senses every time and every where.

10/10

Lost in Translation (2003)

There is something about the Coppola's ,this film is just about perfect!!

[9/10 · 3 February 2008]

I am so sorry I had to watch this film about three times to discover the brilliance it carries within; at first I thought "oh god, this is another ordinary rom/com" but no this is no ordinary film, IT IS FUNNY AS HELL AND REALISTIC AS LIFE IT SELF.

The casting is terrific and the fact that Bill Murray got an Oscar nomination was not a surprise for me considering he has done a brilliant job with Scarlett Johansson under the supervision of the beautiful Sofia Coppola.

The film about a man (Murray) who came to Tokyo to do some whiskey commercials and a newly wedded bride (Johansson) who met in the most extraordinary circumstances made the entertainment headlines in the year 2003; the film that witnessed the birth of Johansson's talent collected about 44 million Dollars in the US box office, which is a huge success for little film that didn't cost more than 10 million dollars.

And After I watched it for the third time I said to my self "GOOD GOD, am I that stupid not to notice the brilliance of this gem, it is really something", this film is just not lucky being produced the same year as the great the return of the king.

Now are you guys interested in such film making? Ask the Coppola's there is something about them.

9/10

Rain Man (1988)

My Brother, My Life!!!

[9/10 · 3 February 2008]

I think this is the first great movie I have ever saw, I saw it when I was 12, but it still delivers for me because of the great moral it carries within.

Can you bare your crazy brother for a long time without really complaining about it? , then you are a great person, just as simple as that, every human been – no matter how old- can understand it and it happens every day but we are just pretending not to look at it the way we should.

The acting is extraordinary, and Dustin Hoffman is really a great actor who can keep you watching him without even blinking. Tom Cruise is fantastic as well.

If you want to teach your children what films are about take them to see rain man under a little parental guide because this film is a landmark.

9/10

Pride & Prejudice (2005)

An absolutely magnificent debut for Joe Wright for my Jane Austin's favorite novel!!!

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

I fell in love at first sight with this film, I liked every thing about it, and that way my heart beats faster every time I see Keira Knightley; she proved that she is a really talented actress and that nomination in that very particular time gave her career a great boost.

The cinematography is absolutely perfect and this is why I liked this film, it gives you that great feeling of the British country in 19th century, and how about a brief presence of Judi Dench, oh god this is just what I needed, it is about perfect.

And better yet considering that this is a debut for Joe Wright I think he has just revealed himself as the filmmaker to be watched.

9/10

Unforgiven (1992)

The Great feeling of a true western life!!!

[9/10 · 3 February 2008]

For some years I wish Sergio Leone was able to produce those trademark masterpieces of his about the great life in the west in the 19th century but when I saw Unforgiven it was a relief for me, Clint Eastwood really benefited from working with Leone not only as a director but surprisingly as an actor, and believe it or not: Clint Eastwood is now an Academy Award nominated actor!!! From a PERSONAL POINT OF VIEW I think Morgan Freeman was better than Gene Hackman, and yet he did not get a single nomination, maybe I need to watch it again to see about that even though I don't do that a lot.

The great value of the film strikes like heart attacks all over this film and that scene in the bar at the end of the film was probably one of the greatest in all the western, I am really amazed that it was all about Clint Eastwood acting and directing.

9/10

Traffic (2000)

This is not a film, this is real life story told by the brilliant Steven Soderbergh!!!

[9/10 · 3 February 2008]

This film is on top in any thing acting directing and film making and story telling in particular.

The quality of the film came from two persons in particular:

1- Steven Soderbergh is really a fantastic director with a big heart and great courage to direct two great films in one year and better yet to earn a twin nomination for both works as best director, this is absolutely extraordinary.

2- Benicio Del Toro: since the day I saw that man in fear and loathing in Las Vegas I told my friends to wait for his next big project and that was it; very emotional acting (one moment in the scene when he was driving a car after his friend murder I thought his is gonna get me) .

The rest of the cast did a wonderful job focusing on the deadly impact of drugs on the society. The fact that there is a big budget drug trade on the US border with Mexico is something that we should've looked at a long time ago before Steven Soderbergh did and thank you indeed for that.

9/10

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

For me this is the best romantic comedy since pretty woman and four weddings and a funeral.

[7/10 · 3 February 2008]

This lovely film carries a lot within it like love, family, joy and commitment.

The fact that the film is simple doesn't mean it is dull and look at the total gross of it, it was a total of 241 million dollars can you believe it? Hmmmm, I think you'd better.

Aside from being funny as hell this film is focusing on other things like other majorities in the US including their habits, cultures and look at that strong bound of the Greek society which should be an idol for us to follow in our own lives.

Nia Vardalos is a lovely girl; I don't know if she has to continue acting but she definitely shouldn't give up her beautiful talent as a screen writer, she is absolutely genius.

8/10

Almost Famous (2000)

Funny, Sexy and Realistic; Almost Famous is one of the very best of the year 2000

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

I have never enjoyed a soundtrack like the one of almost famous, like Nick Bradshaw of the TIMEOUT said "this film looks good and feels great and the listening to the soundtrack is better than having sex" he summarized it like no one could.

Kate Hudson was the quality point of the film, she is a very emotional and sexy talent and along side her is Billy Crudup he is insanely brilliant.

And the soundtrack, GOOD GOD; I already know it is a trademark of a Cameron Crowe film to have a good soundtrack but not that good, I bought the soundtrack CD several years later but I still listen to it every day, no kidding.

The only disappointment for me is I have to wait for another 2 or 3 years for another Cameron Crowe's production but I am sure it will worth the wait.

8/10

Chocolat (2000)

Live a little !!

[8/10 · 3 February 2008]

By the end of this fantastic movie it is clear that life is little bit happier than we could all thought, and with a brilliant script this film is worthy of every Oscar nomination it got ( best picture in particular).

Lasse Hallstrom is a VERY OPTIMISTIC good looking director; he can get every viewer of his films thinking about the core of life and the point of us being inside his thoughts.

The acting is also great and this is directed into only one way: Judi Dench; because after I saw this I thought she could win the Oscar again for her brilliant performance.

And another power point of the film is that romantic scoring at the very beginning if the film. I still run over ten times before I watch the film.

I just can't wait for Lasse Hallstrom to direct another project. God I like him.

9/10

Venus (I) (2006)

Long Live Peter O'toole !!!!

[8/10 · 4 January 2008]

I Don't Remember watching a film for Peter O'toole for more than ten years now and i have just seen Venus yesterday,boy oh boy he can still act.

However the Academy has something against him because he should've won the Oscar for his great performance in Lawrence of Arabia, but after this i was sure he will never won an Oscar, sometimes life is hard.

The story is good and the acting too and that helped the director doing an overall wonderful job.

I hope Peter O'toole will live for another 20 or 30 years to give as another lessons in the art of acting.

Long Live Peter O'toole !!! 8/10

The Sound of Music (1965)

The Mother of all Musicals !!

[8/10 · 4 January 2008]

What do we really need to make a good musical ? lovely songs, great fun, dazzling performances, what else ? every thing you need in good film and more is here in this classic.

it seemed then like there is no better choice for any musical than Julie Andrews, her voice is not normal, i had to close my eyes every time she sang because you don't hear this with your ears you only hear it with your brain........magical!!!! Christopher Plummer is also quit a singer.

And with a great film maker like Robert Wise you can't get bored at all even though the film is a bit long but it was fun.

This is the Greatest of the Great.

No Country for Old Men (2007)

GOOD GOD !!! He really is the ultimate bad ass !!!!!

[9/10 · 2 January 2008]

The Coen's Really came up with a sensational sense of crime that is at least to be described as fearless, and Javier Bardem did that job wonderfully, a 100% Oscar worthy performance.

Another thing about this movie is that there is no musical score at all i mean nothing and that is why you have to stand on your toes the whole time, Absolutely brilliant.

Nonetheless like they said i am not sure i quit liked the last 20 minutes of it simple because ..... well justice was not served, it should have been more mature than that, any way Fargo was better in this point, it gave satisfaction to simple viewers.

However, the film is really great acting directing and film making which i assume it will put it among the front runners for the Oscars next month.

9/10

Monster's Ball (2001)

Ladies and Gentlemen ............ Marc Forster !!!!!

[9/10 · 22 December 2007]

I liked This movie very very much but only because of Marc Forster, this is the best directorial achievement of 2001 without any doubts, so smart, so brilliant behind the camera and you have to watch the scene of the execution to know how great he was.

I don't know about the Oscar that Halle Berry got but her performance was worthy of one, it could be her best ever.

the rest of the cast were fantastic, and Heath Ledger is the guy to watch, he is very talented.

Once Again Marc Forster is going to win an Oscar within the next ten years considering that is not yet 40 "born 1969", a great future is ahead of him, Fantastic.

9/10

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Simlpy undescribable, this is the film that defined the term 'Box Office' !!

[10/10 · 7 December 2007]

without doubt this is Stanley Kubrick's Best, and i think i am a little silly right now writing about this masterpiece, but i couldn't help it, i mean i had to because i watched it last night and i am still thinking about it now and i think i will be thinking about it for several days.

If Kubrick was thinking about making a sequel for Dr.Srangelove then he made a sequel that is as good as the Godfather part II, it is about man vs. machine the first round the nuclear bomb knocked up man but then in this film man maintained his position as the highest creature in the universe, the scene of Dave unplugging the memory and the computer begging him not to was one of the most emotional scenes in the history of cinema.

And tell me about the spectacular visual effects, that was stunning, i could easily believe this is the stuff of the year 2001, and what amazed me that the man who did the visuals was Stanley Kubrick himself and better yet he won an Oscar for that.

By the end of the film Kubrick's managed to get every one thinking about the core of life and how weak and simple a human bean is, and when you think the film is getting boring, you will discover it is not.

On the contrary,this film is very very fun to watch not only for adults but the visuals are attracting the kids as well, and i think if it wasn't for this movie there will not be anything as 'box office'.

This is an immortal masterpiece for all ages until the end of time.

10/10

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Multidimentional ,like a crystal cube

[10/10 · 21 November 2007]

Perhaps this film is the best in the Spielberg\Sci-Fi genre,i saw it last night and i am still thinking about it the following morning.

It gets you thinking about the core of life, love and family, the film looks like a crystal cube when you look deep into it, it is multidimensional,and those dimensions between real life and fairy tales are love life and family.

Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law did a wonderful job, i mean how couldn't they and they are with Spielberg at his best, and tell me about that trade mark music by John Williams, it was dazzling.

and one more thing is about the visuals, they are not only stunning, they are unbelievable.

this film is really a classic masterpiece.

The Black Dahlia (2006)

something was wrong with the script !!!

[6/10 · 17 November 2007]

i have never written a bad review about any movie, this is my first.

when i see a bad movie i just ignore it but i had to write about this because i felt it is that kind of movies that you think it producers spent a really huge amount of money producing it.

The only good thing about this movie is the cinematography but nothing else, and the script which is the frame of every movie was really bad.

i had that feeling that the movie was getting a little much better at the end of it but sadly there was not enough time for it to get any better.

the acting and the directing was all BAD, i don't know what the hell were the creators of this movie thinking ?