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Reviews
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
A mature turn on Harry Potter (HP) movies
Admittedly; after HP 4, I was scared that there wouldn't have been any other movies with that scale of magnitude. Brilliant dialogs, awesome special effects, and everything that a major fantasy movie should have. Now things are changed. You can definitely forget the whole ballet of the fourth movie, and enter into the real Harry Potter World: a world of solitude,pain and doubt. This movie has a lot of ties with the third installment of the series; the same darkness, the same imminent sense of tragedy; most ultimately, the same sense of doom. Without revealing too much of the plot, we can definitely say that we begin to understand Harry's personality for what it is for real: traumatized.
The brilliant Gothic photography, the soundtrack, magniloquent as always, the whole rhythm of the movie, are definitely involving. The actors, excepts from the usual old glories like Gary Oldman & co.(from which I didn't expect any less than the usual perfection-as it has been), seem to grow up talented. Every performance on a movie is better than the previous one, and I'm just looking forward to the next movie, that should be out in late 2008.
One piece of advice: I've been one of the many to doubt about David Yates' capability; mostly, because I'm not from UK, and as such I didn't know his previous works. Doesn't matter what the guy did before, with this movie he definitely put his name into the history of cinema. This Harry Potter Saga is growing up as one of the most incredible serial of adventure, and being remembered for the (at least in my opinion) best HP movie so far is DEFINITELY something.
Domino (2005)
A good "not only action" movie
As soon as I knew Keira Knighteley being in this flick, I said "I have to watch this movie". She's the undisputed main character, Domino, a bounty hunter. Her "job", as the "no action" scenes would teach us, reflects her rebel, violent attitude to life. I have to admit that it's the very first time that I watch an action movie whose most important scenes are the one in which the guns are far away from characters' hands. So, this stomped me a bit. Anyway, for all the John Woo's fans, there are helicopters falling down, explosions, gunfire as if it would rain, and a lovely Keira that shoots with two machine guns, one per hand. The cast is absolutely brilliant. Going beyond Keira, which in this movie is a real tomboy, pretty much different from the lovely action figure we're used to see, Mickey Rourke is back, with his usual slap-throwing face and his potent body. Christopher Walken makes his job pretty well, as a reality show producer.
Let's go to the contents: this movie has a journalistic shape. The talk show scene is "disgustingly" real. Anyone that watched that load of . . . you-know-what, can tell that this is the air that you breath in those situations. As well as the producer, when Domino's mom says that the reality that should show Domino's life is "trash; no offense", he answers "I don't take it like an offense". This movie portrays a difficult life. Domino, coming from a world that didn't want her, Ed (Mickey Rourke), a bounty hunter "not so bounty", Choco (the third guy of the band), which family is (using Ed's words), "the correctional institutes he's been", and Alf, the driver/bomber coming from Afghanistan during the Russian occupation. This bunch of people represents in some way the humankind born "without the shirt"; unlucky, violent, and with nothing to lose, excepts their (as they would consider) miserable lives. The intro of the movie says that it is "inspired by true story . . . more or less", so I couldn't possibly tell you how much of this stuff is true. Anyway, going beyond explosions and dozens of weapons (which could have been "added" to make the film easier to see, and be classified as an action movie), the characters' story is too realistic to be "edulcorated".
The interaction between the characters is various, well studied, and definitely not boring. What hasn't convinced me so much is the role of the psychiatrist (Lucy Liu, sober as never in her acting career). It represents only the reason by which Domino starts telling her story (and that's a story). Probably, the only "con", in a movie with a lot of "pros".
All in all: This isn't "SWAT". The characters are crafted; they have an identity, a shape. They have a name and a surname (not just "Gamble" and "Street"). It's the case to say, it's the biography of a girl whose life went as fast as a bullet.
See No Evil (2006)
Classic Slasher - Kane is Great!!
When I heard about Kane being involved in an horror movie playing -surprise surprise- the "badass", I was extremely excited. I mean, he's huge and - let's say it- he's ugly. And also the character himself "Kane" is very dark and interesting (The athlete behind Kane-character is named Glen Jacobs). When I've seen, at the cinema, the logo "WWE" and Mr. MacMahon as the executive producer, I had my creeps. I said "these money freaks are messing with my movie genre". Fortunately, they aren't. This movie is pretty much a slasher, not so different from Friday 13, and it's about Jacob Goodnight, the killer, obsessed by sins and the eradication of them in the most radical way.This character is crafted in a very realistic way. All of his obsessions belong to his mother, which is obsessed as well by sins and by the holy scriptures. This mother creates, with a certain satisfaction, a monster, which has her same ideas and, more important, the proper physicality to "do his job". And he will "perform his opera" on a group of people, convicts working in an abandoned hotel, which reveals to be a trap for these "sinners". And, I'm afraid, the plot ends here. Should follow a description of some scenes, but, you know, I don't want to be boring; anyway, I trust you get what kind of movie this is. Now, the style is very modern, sometimes it resembles a video clip for a hip hop single. There are no boring points, but, being a slasher, there are a lot of strong violence scenes, and the whole movie it's a crescendo for the final challenge.Which is, like, 3 to 1, in terms of number, but Kane has the body he has. . . well it was some 3 vs 3, OK? The actors are "kinda" OK. There isn' t a lot to recite, except: a sex scene, a nude scene, and a lot of vulgarities, spoken and suggested. And the respective deaths, of course.
Kane has been a surprise!! I expected a giant grunting all the time with an horrible expression (the same he has when he fights), and he actually was. But when talking to the "lovely mum" . . .more than a serial killer, seemed to be Forrest Gump! He has this mutable expression, at the end of the movie, which left me completely breathless. OK, he isn't Micheal Gambon, but . . . you see he's putting a lot more than his 6' 8 . . and that's something!!
All in all, a movie that is entirely shot on the charisma of Kane, and that's why it works. This movie isn't "the next big thing" for the slashers, but it's way better than the latter 5 "Friday 13" and the latter 5 "A Nightmare on Elm Street" as well.
Note for music lovers: the soundtrack SUCKS a load!!
This movie has the same problem of all the slashers in the 90s. No evolution. It is what it is. If you like people being killed by a brutish guy with some serious mental problems, fine. If you don't. . . what are you doing here?
Silent Hill (2006)
Extremely fascinating!!
There we go . . . I was so afraid for this movie. I just thought " Let's hope this ain't a "The Eye"-like stuff". The eye was great, but to see a copy of that movie wouldn't have been a great deal of entertainment. I have to admit, this movie is far to be just entertaining. It is built on the honest will to make you very concerned about the characters. Of the survival horror video games transposed into a movie, this is the best. The plot is very thick. You watch Rose and Cybil make her way through the school, the hotel, and you say "Oh poor girls!! Why the hell those monsters don't leave them alone? I hope all of you freaks just die this instant!", then, the movie goes on, and I've realized why in Italy we say that "hell is not as ugly as described". All of that nightmares you see have an origin. Basically (and here the spoiler), Rose's daughter (Sharon) is very much linked in some way to a girl (Alessa) that, in the 70's, living only with her mom, was pointed out as a witch. The community of Silent Hill decides to burn Alessa, as a witch. Of course, everything is documented with beautiful old-style shots. So everything starts from Alessa's hate, which is in some way perceived by The Death herself (which appears as a mix between Alessa and Samara in "The Ring"), which decided that "Her horror (of Alessa) should be theirs (of Silent Hill's community)". So, the curse on the town begins. Visually speaking, this movie is awesome. The special effects are really the best for a movie of this splatter level, and in more of an occasion, the monsters were as ugly of the ones you can see in the VG "Doom 3" (and it's definitely something!); 60% in CGI, 40% of consistent material. Very credible, also helped by the general setting of the movie , which is in the darkness, or into a snow (actually, is ash) landscape. Actors are just fine, the one that had convinced me the less has been Sean Bean, which is always with the same expression for all the movie. The girls have been more various. Soundtrack is "kinda" good; there are some holes here and there that I didn't like. But we're speaking in terms of scene, so you can just ignore this "con". Direction has been very very good. Great light choices, great shots, excellent dynamism. Monsieur Gans, after "Le Pacte de le Loups" has done another great movie. Bravo!!!
Ultraviolet (2006)
Just for . . . fan(s)
I'm a massive Milla Jovovich fan,you know. And I was looking forward to watch her next movie. I've heard of this one since March,and in Italy it just came this last Friday (June 16). Consider that the unrated DVD is already available . . . Not the smartest business move, but for Milla . . . So, let's see what my favorite vampire does this time: she's a hemofagus ("bloodeater", from Greek,and who wouldn't let her suck himself dry?It would be the nicest death, in this world . . . ), that is to say an infected by a virus,created by an unknown corporation("Resident Evil") - at the head of which there's the Church - that causes the hemofagia. In other words, a virus that makes a vampire out of a man (or woman).Yeah, quite similar to the vampire virus shown in "Blade 2". Milla (playing Violet Song jat Sharif) design herself to protect a boy who could in some way save the whole hemofagus people from their apparently incurable situation. We discover, from clever close-ups on the wonderful Milla's gaze, that, even before the health of herself, or of her people,Violet is doing what she's doing because she is (as we understand from the first scenes) a missed mom. When she became a vampire, she lost her baby. Among this stuff, there's this insane load of fighting. Gun kata, and martial arts of all sorts. And swords. This movie is almost entirely shoot in digital,so there's a lot of Matrix influence on the special effects. The photography is absolutely beautiful. It can pass from sterile - white environments, to some other 70's - like black yellow tricks. It's really a nice show for the eyes. The other nice show, is , well, Milla. There are more close up of hers in this movie, than on the magazines she appears on. Admittely, for a fan, this is a paradise on earth. But I'm afraid the good stuff, together with the soundtrack, ends here. The plot, as you can see, is almost inexistent. That's the main bug. And, boys, that's one great bug. Lets's say so: <1>If you like CGI made movies like "Resident Evil" and "Blade" <2>If you love vampires and cyberpunk stories <3>If you're desperately in love with Milla Jovovich (like me!!) Then, the mark is what you see. Otherwise . . . Subtract a point for every topic you don't like and you'll get the most objective mark (in line with the common opinion on this site). Just for Milla'fans: don't you even dare to miss this movie!! I'm just coming from the cinema and . . . I'm paralyzed from the emotion to see all that close-ups on Milla's gaze - and not only . . .
The Omen (2006)
This movie puzzles me a bit. . .
"The Omen", in its first "incarnation" (1976 or so) has been a great noise for the entire world of cinema. With "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" has been the ideal "trinity" of pure evil oriented movies. As every other great movie, it had its sequel, each as worst as the other (seen "The Omen 4"? No? Lucky Guys!!). Now we've got this remake. Clearly, it should add something of its own, just like a cover of a good rock band. Well, this is actually "The Omen" in the 21st century(sort of 2010/2011, if I made my homework). As the beginning of the movie would explain, the 11st September, the atmospheric anomalies, the sea quake in Indonesia, the tragedies of the war, seem to announce the incarnation of the devil, for all of these events fit the description found in the Book of Revelation. The chosen one is the Assistant of the American Ambassador in Italy, and his nice wife. When they'll have their baby (well, not exactly THEIR, but that's the point of the movie), their lives will change . . . totally. The cast is just great. Liev Schreiber just works out greatly his mission to play a "man on the edge" for the entire movie (and that's definitely something!), and also Julia Stiles portrays very well a wife whose life is falling down . . . literally. Mia Farrow has been just creepy. She does her "dirty job" with the sweetest smile on her face, and makes you wonder "why in the hell she hasn't an Academy Award Nomination?". I mean, watch the movie, and make an idea of what she does. Secondary Roles for David Thewlis and Micheal Gambon (directly from Harry Potter 5 set), and I have to say that their job on this movie has been really credible. Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick is the real thing. Cold, towel-like white, has less lines to say than Schwarzenegger in the first Terminator, but he plays with his ocean deep blue eyes. His gaze of corruption (used to suggest people to do thing they wouldn't)is just astounding. The music, by Marco Beltrami, works perfectly. I mean, it's really magniloquent and deep. Scenography: Summa cum Laude!! Nothing else to say.
But . . . The Directing Work has some highs and lows that I didn't like. Some moments are really made to let you jump from the chair, but there is, in the central part of the movie, this huge interlude that isn't the most exciting/horrifying/entertaining thing I've seen in years. This hole of 40 minutes makes me give a 7 rather than 8. And there's this huge mistake. In Vatican City, priests are talking about the Revelation. In Italian, that book is known as John's Apocalypse ("Apocalisse di Giovanni"), so, there's this cultural misunderstanding. After all, a good movie. As every other remake, it isn't critical for your DVD collection, but it's worth a watch or two
V for Vendetta (2005)
No words to describe the magnificence of this movie!!
Natalie Portman; Hugo Weaving; The Wachowski Bros., Owen Patterson. The crew is almost the same of Matrix, so there were two actual possibilities: a) this movie could be a special-effect whipped 'thing', of which I could get bored after 15 minutes; b) a masterpiece. Good Luck, we're in the second case!!! Now, I've seen a lot of movies about heroes, and beautiful and fragile girls, but this one . . . Hugo Weaving, 'V' for friends, made this incredible performance with the mask on for the whole film! Kinda makes you wander 'And what if he didn't use it? Would he have been nominated for the 2007 Academy Awards? 'V' is this almost-19th-century hero, actually living in the 21st century, and he's fighting against the system (against the London then-dictator; we're around 2030). He meets this girl,Evey, saving her from a potential multiple rape (transforming it into a multiple murder via stab wounds), and he also falls in love with her. On the other hand, Evey, which isn't pretty much interested in someone who kills people with the smile on the face (litterally), bit by bit gets rid of her fears and, at the very end, she falls in love for V-guy. All this stuff is merged with a certain dark-cyberpunk atmosphere, but less technological than 'Matrix', so that you can feel all the poetry of the main character . . . between a stab and a kick, of course!!
Why I gave it a 9/10: Visually speaking, it's astounding. The interpretation is actually perfect, and the characters seem really to be stitched on the actors; both the main guys, and the 'sidekicks'. The story is a mix of love, drama, thriller, everything merged in a dark atmosphere of a really doomed London. Advice: Vendetta, as a lot of people know, is an Italian word to say 'revenge'. Well, I'm Italian, and by seeing this film I've realized the ultimate meaning of the word 'Vendetta'. It could seem ridiculous for you, but, every great scene involving V doing something astounding, I used to say the word (in a low voice, of course!), 'Vendetta' . . .
Why I didn't give it a 10/10: Soundtrack. I don't want to sound or seem the Hermione Granger of cinema, but it's REALLY (sorry for the caps) way too similar to the 'Matrix' one . . .