rmvieira Reviews

The Fourth Kind (2009)

Lose-your-sleep disturbing, but great

[8/10 · 11 July 2011]

The Fourth Kind is one of those love-or-hate movies. It will all depend on a simple factor: whether you read reviews of it before watching or not.

Since I decided to watch it based on the initial 30 seconds of the trailer, before they start mentioning the abductions, I managed to get sunk in with no preconception. The first scene where Milla Jovovich states this film is based on a true story and supported by actual footage and recordings is the key and it makes you absorb all the info with a different view. So if you know anything else other than the trailer you probably won't enjoy this as much as I did. In fact I think the trailer itself already gives too much information.

The idea of this movie is great - a documentary. I haven't seen anything like it since the 1st Blair Witch Project, but it's better executed, much scarier and as Jovovich says, disturbing. The "real" footage adds a very strong tone and throws shivers down your spine if you did not read or research anything prior to watching. If you did, well, you might think it's not that scary.

Anyway, real or fake, this movie was great, it kept me entertained and apprehensive for a good 90 minutes and that's what movies are all about. The actress that plays the "real" Abigail is very convincing and all the scenes with split screens are awesome.

I don't agree with people complaining that they were deceived by the statements in the beginning of the movie, although I understand their point. But in the end, aren't we supposed to immerse in a universe of fantasy when we watch movies, specially sci-fi? In this generation everybody is expecting great special effects, but The Fourth Kind goes beyond that and delivers top class suspense.

The Book of Eli (2010)

Best post-apocalyptic film out there

[7/10 · 1 June 2011]

I'm not a big fan of the post-apocalyptic genre, but this film is better than the average, dare I say one of the best of its kind. I disagree with some reviewers that claim this movie to be religious propaganda. Yes, the book of Eli is a bible but that's what makes it different from the old "wander and kill to survive" that we usually see on post apocalyptic films. It has its share of wandering and killing with great fight scenes and Denzel Washington's performance is quite good. I admit there are some continuity issues with the shooting, but that's expected from any action movie. It's a great lesson about faith, but please, people, don't take this literally. This is a movie to savour as a metaphor. Have faith - it doesn't matter your religion. Enjoy the action scenes and the visual effects with amazing non-vivid colours.

Stuck on You (2003)

Humorless comedy or a drama without content?

[3/10 · 30 May 2011]

A very disappointing film from the Farrely brothers, who decided to explore a rather unusual topic: siamese twins. Despite the idea being interesting, this movie is boring, tiring and not fun at all. It stays way below any expectations. It's not clear if the intention was a humorless comedy or a drama without content. The script is bad and it seems that not a lot of effort was put in it. Unfortunately, even Matt Damon was unable to save the movie - he was dull and unexciting.

The story is about Bob and Walt (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear), siamese twins who live a simple and normal life. Walt then decides to to follow his dream of becoming an actor, but he needs to bring his brother along to Hollywood and fight all the prejudice against them. The only good thing I have to say about Stuck on You is kudos to Brazilian actress Fernanda Lima in her first international role.

50 First Dates (2004)

Perfect romcom for watching with your loved one

[9/10 · 30 May 2011]

Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a ladies man who works as a vet in Hawaii. A typical player, he's famous in the island for getting lucky with gorgeous girls during their holidays at the beach. But the status quo is broken when she meets another local girl, Lucy Withmore (Drew Barrymore). They go out on a date and fall in love, however on the next day she doesn't remember him anymore.

Lucy suffers from short term memory loss due to a traumatic accident she suffered in the past and she can't remember any events from the previous day. Although it seems to be the ideal setting for Henry's one-night- stands, he gets obsessed with the girl and tries to win her heart every day. Lucy lives in her own world and lives every day exactly as the day before, encouraged by her brother and father who overprotect her. Henry's job is not only to get Lucy to love him, but to gain the trust of her family and friends.

Great romcom, perfect for watching with your loved one. Light and funny and makes you realize we need to cherish the one we love every day.

Downfall (2004)

Ganz's acting is frightening and fantastic

[8/10 · 30 May 2011]

The movie shows the last moments of the famous Nazi dictator before his suicide on April 30th 1945 in a bunker in Berlin. The film starts 10 days before Hitler's fall and director Oliver Hirschbiegel shows the desperation of the Germans, including the Nazi officers, as Berlin is invaded and bombarded by heavy artillery. Facing chaos, the characters break down one by one in their desperate measures.

Bruno Ganz's acting is frightening and fantastic. Everything from accurately nailing Hitler's accent to his imposing authority and yelling in scene is surprising. Ganz was nominated for best actor in the European Film Awards (he really deserved it) and the movie was nominated for best international film in that year. It gets 8 stars from me as the movie itself is quite exhausting - could have been briefer. But the point of view is great and it's not another American nationalist film.

The Terminal (2004)

Spielberg + Hanks = WIN

[9/10 · 30 May 2011]

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a citizen of an Eastern European country who travels to New York when his country is suddenly struck by a coup d'etat, which invalidates his passport. When he gets to the terminal, Viktor is unable to get clearance to enter the US. Once the borders of his home country get closed after the overthrow he can't go back home either.

Viktor has to improvise and starts spending his days and nights inside the terminal waiting for a political resolution. As time goes by, the protagonist is forced to find his way to survive, struggling to communicate and to make friends, while trying to work out a resolution for his unusual situation.

A drama with a light touch of humor in which once again the Spielberg + Hanks combination is an utter success. The script is good and flows through smoothly, whereas Hanks gives us another amazing display of his talent. Navorski's unusual situation is based on a true story of an Iranian refugee stuck in Charles de Gaulle airport.

Batman Begins (2005)

Darker and better than the Dark Knight

[9/10 · 30 May 2011]

With a great cast of characters and working with a script that had the correct formula, director Christopher Nolan was able to successfully recreate the famous comics hero and please most of the public and fans. After the letdown of the previous batman movies, Batman Begins tells the tale of young Bruce Wayne becoming the Batman.

*** Light Spoiler alert **** This isn't a movie that starts from nowhere and ends without continuity. On the contrary, it starts from the very beginning, from Bruce Wayne's childhood, displaying his relationship with his parents and their murder. Young Wayne goes through existential crisis and a long journey throughout the world, facing dangers and undergoing physical and mental training. Meanwhile, his desire to save Gotham City, a city falling apart with crime, grows stronger. Bruce then comes back to his hometown to fight against its rising underworld. The path he goes through until finally assuming the identity of the batman is well explored in this film, which focuses on the hero and not on the villains. The ending is simple, but fantastic.

Overall, a serious movie that deserves to be applauded for being the best executed and darkest of the whole series. Much better than the Dark Knight in my opinion. It's worth mentioning the great acting of Liam Neeson as Henri Ducard. Also, Christian Bale shows a lot of competence and is very convincing as the Batman.

Thor: Hammer of the Gods (2009 TV Movie)

Not worthy of using the name of such a mighty Norse God

[1/10 · 12 February 2011]

Awful! I was mislead by the title of this movie. They use the name of Thor to sell it and it just doesn't match up to the expectations of a Norse war God. Doesn't qualify as an adventure movie, nor as a horror movie. More like low-budget fantasy. The acting is poor. The actor who plays Thor is not convincing at all.

The warrior costumes look like the ones you can buy for Halloween. The film starts out of nowhere and the plot line is weak, oh how weak. The fighting scenes are dull, the werewolves look like rabid dogs wearing trousers. Special effects are as good as in the 80's

++++++++++++++ Spoilers ++++++++++++++++++++ Well if you really care to watch this, these are spoilers below.

The scene where Baldur cuts off the rope bridge is just lame. When Thor throws two spears at the two werewolves, the second spear slows down in the air before hitting the wolf. Very bad editing. The special 'defect' of the wolf-woman shape-shifting back into woman is ridiculous! And the end is so predictable.

In a nutshell, don't waste your time.

I Love You, Man (2009)

Smart and funny, above the average comedy.

[6/10 · 12 February 2011]

Unconventional movie, yet in a conventional way. Paul Rudd plays a normal guy living his normal life, but as soon as he gets engaged he realizes he has no close male friends that vouch for being his best man. He then goes on a series of funny and not very well succeeded man-dates searching for a new friend. Won't say more as I intend this to be a non-spoiler review.

Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are great on this movie. The plot line is a bit predictable, but the movie is smart and funny. And that's what comedy movies are all about. More than just attracting a few laughs, this film makes us think that even though it may seem hard to make new friends after we're grown ups, there is no secret recipe to do it, but a cliché: "just be yourself".

In a nutshell, smart and above the average comedy, worth watching.

The House Bunny (2008)

Silly with a lot of clichés, but Faris is fun to watch.

[3/10 · 12 February 2011]

Don't expect too much of The House Bunny. It's just another teen movie that you can definitely judge by its cover. It's basically a silly story of a playboy bunny that is kicked off the Playboy Mansion and has really nothing to hold on to - and has to start over. The plot line is very simple and the movie is very predictable with loads of clichés.

Anna Faris' performance is the only thing that can save this movie. She's funny and can really get into a character, even though this role seemed like her roles on the Scary Movie series, playing a dumb and shallow girl. Only hotter and blond this time.

Watch this if you want a very light movie with nothing special about it. Almost good for a rainy Sunday afternoon. Thankfully it's not a long movie.