Reviews

Alejandro Amenábar is a very young and talented director, born in Chile and raised in Spain. He revolutionized Spanish cinema when he arrived on the scene with Thesis, at only 24 years of age. The came Abre los ojos, a very powerful second film that immediately put him aside some of the leading directors there, like Pedro Almodóvar, Carlos Saura, or Fernando Trueba. The others is only his third film and you can now see a hint of who may become one of the best around in a couple of years (he's only 29).

The best comparison I can make of this film is to a piece of clockwork. Precise, exact, nothing is gratuitous or excessive.... What a subtle charm this film works on you as a spectator. The screenplay is one of the best of this genre I have seen in the last few years, very carefully revised and misleading, yet at the end everything makes perfect sense, not the mention on the second time you watch it.

It is true that many of the film's features and details may be traced to classic films of the genre, but there is nothing wrong with that. The director himself said it was an homage to directors like Alfred Hitchcock (to whom he has been compared somewhat prematurely.... he may reach such height but he still has a long road to walk). That is one of the great things about the film; it takes the best of the genre, the best that has been made by the best directors... it's a film lover's delight.

I had never thought Nicole Kidman could have been at the height of the project, as I really have never considered her a great actress. All I can say is I am still dumbfounded by her extraordinary performance... really, a large percentage of the film's success can be related to her. Sober and discreet when needed, yet grand all the same... It does remind some of the most elegant names of classic Hollywood cinema like the Bette Davis of All about Eve or the Katharine Hepburn of The African queen. But it would be really selfish to give her all the credit when she was supported by an extraordinary cast. Fionnula Flanagan (the sweet old lady from Waking Ned Devine) is trully magnificent as the governess, Mrs. Mills, and very surprising performances of a mute and an old gardener are given by Elaine Cassidy and Eric Sykes. The children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) are also fantastic.

Finally, I cannot but mention the crew of the film. It is even a more fantastic job when you consider that the film (many people don't realize this) is chiefly a Spanish production. The production design by Benjamín Fernández and specially the cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe are extraordinary. Just as in the best painting of figures like Goya or Rembrandt, light and shadow reveal the objects and the people.

I do not hesitate to say that this is really one of the best films of the year 2001. I am still waiting to watch Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, La stanza del figlio, The shipping news, The hours and Italiensk for begyndere, but I know it will remain amongst those at the top. A 10/10 is really fair for a film that has it all, a perfect machinery that arrives at a time when we seriously need intelligent films and not blockbuster deceptions. I can only say I hope its director won't jump to Hollywood in search of big-time projects that waste his potential.

It is a film to feast on.. to savour, to enjoy, to remember....

I saw this film at the inaugural ceremony of this year's Bogota International Film Festival. I really wasn't very enthusiastic about a film I thought wasn't going to be anything special, but having free entries and looking forward to the ceremony itself, I went to see it. As soon as the film started I realized I had been mistaken about it. And by the end I was so glad I hadn't missed it! This is truly one of the best films made in Colombia in the past ten years. The film is set in the 1930's or 40's in a small Colombian town and tells the story of three children who go through all sorts of adventures and misventures in order to become invisible. The protagonist's motivation is the secret love he has for his neighbour, a very beautiful but unkind little girl (only she is also secretly in love with him). The story is narrated by this protagonist around fifty years afterwards, and the tone of the story is the perfect one: an epic tone that gives the children's adventures enormous proportions. The film is full of tender and hilarious moments that bring many spectators close to tears and remind all of our childhoods. Technically speaking, the film is also remarkable!! The quality of this film is quite good for a Colombian one, and I specially liked the cinematography. So, if you can catch this film... I recommend it.

Before watching Run Lola Run, I was absolutely sure it was an incredible film and that I was going to praise it; well, it surprised me even more and now I worship it! It is really one of the best films I have seen in the last two years, just beside Almodóvar's All About My Mother.

What's so great about this German film? Well, everything is. Starting with the directing by Tom Tykwer. A masterpiece, a work of art. The movement of the camera is striking, yet it blends in with the story perfectly, and these movements are clearly needed for the story (it's NOT a director trying to impress you with his originality!). The best thing I thought was the editing; it reminds me of the cinema of Hitchcock, Buñuel or Eisenstein. The enormous amount of details that Tykwer conveys through editing is extraordinary and just this makes the film very worth watching. Also very interesting and appealing are the very strong screenplay by Tykwer and the faboulous cinematography by Frank Griebe. Not to mention the soundtrack, an incredible medley of different styles, that blend in perfectly in every moment of the film.

The structure of the story is definitely not one you see everyday, but the strength of it doesn't merely lie in the fact it's very original; it truly is a perfect screenplay, not a second of film is wasted, not a second is eraseable. It reminded me very much of Julio Medem's The Lovers of the Arctic Circle. As for Franka Potente, I think she is a great discovery; I hand't seen any of her work before and she has quite an acting capacity, same as supporting actors Herbert Knaup (Lola's father) and Nina Petri (Jutta).

So, I truly think you should watch this excellent film.

Character is one of the best period films I have ever seen, and the enormous quantity of very interesting aspects in it make it worth watching.

I saw this film with the natural curiosity that a best foreign film Academy Award arouses in many people, and I was really delighted and surprised (Altough, I must admit I had hoped Spain's Secrets of the Heart would win). The story is quite beautiful, and Mike van Diem created a very solid screen play based on well known Ferdinand Bordewijk's novel.

The film has some extraordinary moments; I must say that the one that impressed me most was the final scene of the film, a scene of great visual impact and also of an incredibly big narrative content; it is the scene that reveals the mystery behind the cruel A.B. Dreverhaven's behaviour.

The performances given out in this film are simply spectacular especially Jan Decleir's as Dreverhaven. I also think Betty Schuurman as Jacob's mother and Victor Löw as De Gankelaar are terrific. One more thing, the art design is beautiful; the image the film gives us of the 1930's Amsterdam is very powerful and very beautiful.

Not only is it a great film then, but it is a story that carries a lot of feelings, and will take you on quiet an emotional ride. I can only say this: enjoy it!

This is one of the best films I have seen, I could say, in my entire life. I don't usually comment if it isn't that way. The film is a masterpiece, a very strong union of every thing that we could want and ask of a film. The story is complex, yes, but it has been set for our eyes in a simple, yet involving way. Then the spectacle really begins, when you feast your eyes on the images passing in front of you. You feel the cold, the warm, the lonely, Ana, Otto, the love.... you feel the story as if it were yours, and believe me, it is. The images achieved by director Julio Medem and cinematographer Gonzalo Berridi are breathtaking, they arouse and touch you, you have the sensation of having seen all that beauty before or the contrary, of never having seen images so beautiful in your entire life, or both.

Is life a constant clash of coincidences? I don't know, but watch this film even if it's not by coincidence. You will breathe, love, think, love, see, love different afterwards. This is poetry, this is art, and this is one of the reasons why I am so passionate about cinema, and why it will always be so.

My vote?.... Would a 10/10 be enough??? I'm not sure, make that 11.

Venus Beauté Institut is clearly one of the best films of the year in France, and not due to the fact it won the César as best film; it truly is a good film, contrary to what many people think. For starters the film has an excellent screenplay, and everything fits in quite nicely. It was very well directed by Tonie Marshall, in a simple, efficient and clear way (if you're looking for flashy directing look elsewhere). The story is also quite simple, but anyone (including men) can relate to it, for it deals with the most common human emotions: love, loneliness, friendship, sorrow, and happiness; and what's truly inspiring is the simple and humorous way these emotions have been conveyed. As for the acting, I can only say one thing: what an incredible cast. Nathalie Baye was superb as the lonely Angèle, and the entire supporting cast is excellent: the socialite and oppressive Madame Nadine (Bulle Ogier), the sweet and naive Marie (Audrey Tautou), the troubled Samanthe (Mathilde Seigner), and the breathtaking Madame Buisse (Claire Nadeau). Also, this is not the typical art house French film that many people detest, it is a very simple human statement, wonderfully taken to the screen.

I recommend it.

La Haine: a very sincere statement of the not-so-romantic life in the suburbs of Paris, a cinematographic masterpiece, an excellent and very entertaining film, a story that lingers in your mind for you to reflect upon. Many people were scandalized by this film, stating it is too violent, too crude... neither is the case. It is one day in the lives of three teenagers in a dirty, dangerous suburb of Paris: Hubert (an African), Saïd (an Algerian), and Vincent (a Jew), and how they survive in a very hostile environment, where surviving for the next few minutes is the only thing you can look forward to. This is one of the greatest screenplays I have recently seen, and I think this film resembles many of the classics in many ways. Mathieu Kassovitz did a wonderful job directing, with shots that clearly resemble any major director (Hitchcock for example). Another great thing about the film, the editing... the story is very nicely put together through the editing.

A must see.

All About My Mother is one of the most enigmatic films I have seen in years; and this is precisely what makes it one of the best contemporary films and this is also why I dare say that time will give this film a place in history. The story is a sad and somber one: five female characters, each one involved in her own drama, Manuela has lost her only child and takes a journey back into her past to look for the child's father, Agrado is a struggling prostitute in need of a friend, Nina a neurotic actress addicted to heroine, Huma Rojo is a desperate woman in search of love, and Sister Rosa is a young nun with two big problems, she is pregnant and is HIV positive. Such a display of human dramas seems demoralizing, but the truth is Almodovar gives the audience the story in a fresh way; never evading the drama, the film itself is not somber, but radiant with hope, faith and friendship. Almodovar has always been very good in depicting the female world; but this is his most outstanding creation, a beautiful mixture of a superb screenplay which I think every persona that sees it can relate to, a story which fills us with tears and smiles at the same time. Cinema is truly a way of communication, and what Almodovar achieves with this film is an undeniable connection with the spectator, almost every watcher was deeply touched by it. A coincidence? I don't think so, it's the work of a master contemporary (and sometimes underrated) director. We can't say that only Almodovar shone with this movie, for every element in it is outstanding, every performance is riveting. The performance of Cecilia Roth (Manuela) should have been an Academy Award nomination at least. The entire supporting cast was incredible, specially Antonia San Juan (Agrado, the prostitute). The cinematography is beautiful and the tango influenced score was a hit. I will also venture to say that this is the best film I have seen in my life, one the same lines as Casablanca, Psycho and A Clockwork Orange. Thank you Pedro Almodovar for this film! My verdict: Evidently a 10 out of 10.

Whatever you can ask for in a film is sure to be found in Mediterraneo. This is certainly one of the best European films of the decade; very warm, appealing, and hilarious. The story of a small group of Italian soldiers (they're not actually very soldier-like) stranded on a beautiful Greek island during Second World War is very nicely depicted by director Gabriele Salvatores. The characters of Nicola Lorusso, Raffaele Montini and the soldier in love with Vassilisa are great. The island itself is beautiful, which calls to some incredible cinematography. The musical score is spectacular, a delicious medley of Italian and Greek folkloric music. My verdict: 10 / 10

Soplo de vida is a very interesting film in various ways. It is an ambitious project, thrillers aren't a Colombian speciality but Luis Ospina managed to assemble an interesting screenplay with a very talented cast, led by the always versatile César Mora and the very talented Constanza Duque and Fernando Solórzano. As I said, it is ambitious, but it lacks a certain environment necessary for the film. The essence of Bogota's downtown is captured only partially, but the few holes in the story are well covered by the very unusual and extremely interesting way of narrating, using a series of well-organised and well-conceived flashbacks to tell the story of the prostitute Gaviota.

In summary, a valuable film in Colombian cinema, worth watching and worth recognising as an important step in its director's career.

I watched this film captured by the presence of Roman Polanski in the credits. The result was very intriguing. Through the reminiscences of famous writer Onoff (Depardieu) and the shrewd interventions of the Inspector (Polanski) the crime is effectively solved. The dialogue is exceptional, and both men's performances are quite good. Basically this is a very interesting and intriguing film, and fortunately not pretentious. Highly recommendable.

Pedro Almodóvar has been my favorite director for some years now. I have always been very positively surprised by his work, but nevertheless Todo sobre mi madre overwhelmed me more than any film ever had. I almost cried when watching it!!! The direction and the photography are tremendous, and the performances by Cecilia Roth (Manuela) and Antonia San Juan (La Agrado)are the best I've seen in a long while.

This is a truly magnificent and heartwrenching film!!!! Ripstein's locations are spectacular, extremely detailed and well lit, the dialogue is extraordinarily García Márquez, no doubt about it. Fernando Luján and Marisa Paredes give us outstanding performances as the colonel and his wife.

You must see it!!!

This movie is one of the greatest in Colombian history, a true masterpiece!!! Not only is Sergio Cabrera a very resourceful director, but he is surrounded by a great cast of actors that include Fausto Cabrera, Víctor Mallarino and Florina Lemaitre. The story is fast-paced and hilarious, but at the same time it is dramatic and shows our reality. Bravo for this movie!!!