Category: Cinema

Just a couple of days ago I received at home the documentary in DVD “Maradona” by the famous Serbian film director Emir Kusturica. After watching it, I still hesitate between recommending it or not. Honestly, from the cinematographic point of view, I got a bit disappointed; I thought that the movie was going to be entirely focused on Maradona and his life, but it looks more like a movie about the director himself meeting Maradona. In fact, I think that Kusturica appears more minutes on screen than Maradona himself.

This can also be due to the difficulties in getting contact with the Argentinean. The footage was recorded 5-6 years ago, with Maradona immersed and dealing with his well known drugs problems, so it took more than 2 years for the director to gather enough material to put the film together, and you can see his desperation in some parts of the movie. All in all, there are still some good and emotive moments, when you see the most human side of the ex-footballer: his moments with his family and parents, his raw honesty when talking about the drugs and all what he missed in life due to them, his visit to Belgrade waving his hand to the people in the streets…

I think that the fact that makes Maradona still so beloved all over the world (ok…maybe except in England) is that we see in them the weakness of human beings. Who does not have a friend or a relative with a good heart, but who always manage to get in problems because of gambling, alcohol, drugs, women, taking the wrong decision in the worst moment…? Maradona is certainly not an angel, but behind every mischief he makes, there is still a glimpse of dignity and kindness. He is not untouchable, but the kind of man who can score a goal in a stadium filled with 100.000 souls, but could still be perfectly sitting close to you in your backyard, sipping a cold beer and telling anecdotes.

The documentary has also some hilarious moments, like when featuring the “Church of Maradona” in Argentina, a group of hardcore followers of “El Pelusa” who ask their new followers to score a goal imitating the famous one scored with “the hand of God” against England in Mexico World Championship for entering their special “cult” and even marrying couples using Maradona´s biographical book as their own new bible.

As I said, reviewing the film itself, I honestly thought the final result would be a bit better. But for the lovers of football, this is undoubtedly a must see just for the simple reason of watching the superb actions and goals of Maradona while being an active player. For me Maradona is linked with my first memories about football: Mexico 86 is the first World Championship I remember (I was just 6 years old). A period of life when football players did not need to wear Gucci suits in the press conferences, did not look like Hollywood stars and did not have boots painted in other colors than black and white.I still remember, being a little child, how furious I was when the legal goal by Michel was not given by the referee, so Spain finally lost 1-0 against Brazil or how happy made me feel to see Butragueño scoring 4 goals against Denmark. And of course, I remember Maradona scoring the two most famous goals of the last 25 years of football history against England.

I always despised the goal that Maradona scored with the hand. For me, in sports cheating is always cheating and it kills the spirit of the game. Obviously, in that match it was not only about football, but more a question of national pride after the recent Falkland War that confronted Argentina and England.

But as I said before, Maradona has the magic virtue of not only being one of the best football players of the history, but also of being able to get forgiveness from football fans once and again and again. I do not really give value to his opinions about politics or religion. Maradona is the kind of person who will say one thing and when you turn your head, will do the opposite. But same than we do with a good old friend, it is impossible to deny him help and pity.

There is an interesting moment during the film, where a couple of sexy strippers are performing a little show in front of Kusturica´s eyes, but he turns his head to the TV set to watch a video of Maradona´s highlights. Same for me the best moments during the documentary were not when he meets South American presidents or starts to divagate about his addictions. The best moments were when watching archive footage of his amazing talent in the football pitch, his control of the ball with that prodigious left leg, his assistances and his incredible goals (most usually scored with the feet).

I won´t keep the image of a fat Maradona interned in a rehab clinic, but of a player able to surf though the football pitch like a ballerina breaking though six English defenders like a flash in his path to glory. As everything in life, glory in sports always comes with a price to pay.

Rating 3/5

Maradona by Kusturica Trailer

The biggest sensation of Finnish cinema lands in DVD!

A-J Annila shows that the European horror cinema genre is in quite good shape. Sauna was a phenomenon in the Finnish theatres last year, and it is still collecting prizes (like in the recent Brussels film festival) and good critics all over the world. If you like gore movies, with a lot of blood and viscera, this is not for you. Sauna has other weapons to retain the spectator immersed in a constant tension: the dark and grey atmosphere, the sauna building erected magically in the middle of nowhere, the main characters, two brothers that have secrets and sins hidden inside the deeps of their souls…  If you enjoy more kind of movies like The Village of The Blair Witch Project that keep you in tension until the final climax, you will like this film pretty much.

The movie on the other hand is not easy to understand, there are many clues hidden that would require a second or third time to watch, and the rhythm turns slow for some moments. But at least it makes you think, and achieves a good result with a little budget.

Not for all audiences, but certainly a nice approach to the horror genre without abusing of tones of blood spilled.

Rating 3/5

The best: it makes you think.

The worst: maybe some spectators do not wait for giving it a second chance after the first view.

The detail: compare the number of inhabitants in the village with the number of people the elder brother killed…

Sauna Trailer

Everything Madonna does is surrounded by polemic, so obviously expect an avalanche of different reactions with her first film as director…

I have read a bunch of bad critics against this movie, and just after watching it I think they are not well deserved. Many people wanted to criticise the movie just for being directed by Madonna, more than paying attention to its content. And truly, although it is not a masterpiece, it is in some way “surprisingly” good, a very decent movie for a novel director (no matters if called Madonna or any other name).

The film is risky but it does not go over the top. It plays with sexual content, but nothing too explicit, having the main focus on the twisted human relations around three flatmates who share a house in London.  The real star of the movie is the singer from Gogol Bordello Eugene Huntz. A few weeks ago I saw his astonishing performance in Everything is Illuminated, where he literally steals the show, and here he does the same. His charisma in front of the camera is notorious, and I really hope he will be offered more good roles in future productions to continue exploding his talent.

Although the rhythm of the film has some ups and downs, with some brilliant moments and some other boring ones, all in all, it is worthy to watch. Maybe Madonna won´t reach the level of her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, but she achieves a good movie; nothing to be ashamed of for the queen of pop.

Rating 3/5

The best:  The Ukrainian charismatic singer/actor from Gogol Bordello Eugene Huntz.

The worst: Some people are not going to give a chance to the movie just because of the name of the director.

The detail: The DJ at the strip club appears also in Guy Ritchie´s previous movie Snatch.

Filth and Wisdom Trailer

Another movie from Disney with dogs having adventures. Not, this time they are not lost in Alaska, but in Mexico and the main characters is a tiny but brave spoiled Chihuahua!

Obviously this is a movie just for the little ones of the family, or as well for parents and kids to watch together. Do not expect any logic here, because you are not going to find it. A dog wearing a collar of diamonds, dogs that understand perfectly the instructions of humans, a rat and an iguana who are friends and try to steal around…  I am surprised actually that Andy Garcia and Drew Barrymore are involved in the project lending their voices, but there is nothing that Disney cannot achieve.  The always deliciously sexy Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) and Manolo Cardona (well known in Latin America for his participation in soap operas) have good chemistry together, but the real stars of the movie are the dogs, forming a society that has nothing to envy to humans.

Well, as we said at the beginning, this is more a family movie, aimed at kids and animal lovers. If you prefer gore or terror movies, watching a bunch of cute dogs talking and having adventures around is not going to float your boat. But if you enjoy Disney movies and want to spend a good time together with children, your couple or your parents, this can be worthy a try.

Rating 3/5

The best: Delgado´s background story and its similarities with many other cop movies.

The worst: That in real life there are dogs almost as spoiled as the rich ones in the movie. And unfortunately there are also dog fights where sadistic audiences enjoy watching animals suffer.

The detail: The movie has made more than 150 million dollars worldwide while being at the cinema screens.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua Trailer

The movie narrates a biographical period in the life of the most famous Finnish writer of the last century: Kalle Päätalo.

Päätalo, as a good Finnish movie, is the kind that starts slow but attracts you in its website silently and steadily. This is due mainly to the great performances by the trio of main Finnish actors: both Susanna Anteroinen and Nina Jääskelainen are great in the roles of both wives of Päätalo, but undoubtedly, for me Jai Lehtinen is the absolute star of the movie. He owns the character, portrays all his virtues but also all his faults and defects that probably can make you hate him in several moments of the movie, so in general he turns his character into a very natural human being, strong and weak, creative and impulsive, that is really credible for the audience.

Päätalo ´s own biography is very well documented in his work, so director Hannu Kahakorpi was well covered in that sense, but the actors really deliver a great performance here. Do not expect a movie of great rhythm; there are not even so many visual shocking moments, but all in all, it is a great chance to get to know a bit better the human side of one of the biggest Finnish writers of all time before being able to achieve his child dream of become a novelist.

Rating 4/5

The best: The great performance of Kai Lehtinen. And yes, this time there are English subtitles in the DVD!!!

The worst: The attitude of many Finnish men towards their women has not changed much through the decades.

The detail: Päätalo published his first book Ihmisiä telineillä in 1958.

{mosimage}Here comes the first film adaptation of the saga created by the writer Stephenie Meyer. Be ready for a strong mix of teenage love and vampires… 

I must admit I have not read the Twilight saga books by Meyer yet, but I read a few months ago The Host by the same author, and it did disappoint me. From my point of view, Meyer writes for female audiences, and obviously I am not a woman. Here in Twilight you can find a bit of the same, a love history that will make half teenagers of the planet fall in love with the adorable character of Edward Cullen. Certainly Robert Pattinson makes a good performance, although I get a bit annoyed by Kristen Steward as Bella.

All in all, although I do not share the attraction that many girls (and boys) have for Edward´s character, I find that the movie has quite many good strong points. The script is clever, although with same flaws, and the rhythm increases after a slow beginning to a final good climax of tension. The sense of humour is maybe the best part of the movie, there are some funny quotes and it is good how the vampires can joke about their own condition. 

Although in some ways Twilight is just another teenage love movie portrayed in the typical American high school, it has also a few details that make it pretty refreshing.  I must praise how they were able to combine the elements to make a vampire movie that could be attractive for both male and female audiences, although maybe for the non-so teenage men, the final product can be a bit corny sometimes. In any case, not a bad effort, and let´s see what is going on when the next adaptation of the saga hits the screens around the world. 

Rating 4/5 

The best: The sense of humour in the dialogues. The worst: It sucks when you are a horny teenager but you cannot have sex, doesn´t it? The detail: Author Stephenie Meyer makes a cameo at the restaurant in Forks ordering a sandwich. The detail: Author Stephenie Meyer makes a cameo at the restaurant in Forks ordering a sandwich.

Official trailer:

Bruce Campbell is back in an exhilarating movie that parodies all the clichés of Series B movies!

What you have here is Bruce Campbell making fun of him. The actor is well known, overall in USA, for his participation in a lot of classic B Series movies as well as collaborating with Sam Raimi or the Cohen brothers.What you have here is a film with low budget, so do not expect any great special effects.

The strong point is to see the performance of Campbell, and how he makes fun of the cinema industry. The plot does not make sense, but that is exactly the goal of the movie, more focused on Campbell´s dialogues. There are quite a few good moments, although I honestly thought that it would be funnier than it turned to be. It is also nice to see how in the end they change the final result.

If you like low budget movies and you are a fan of Campbell, probably you are going to enjoy this one, but if you were expecting something “bigger”, this maybe can disappoint you a bit

Rating 3/5

The best: Campbell going through all the empty liquor bottles at his caravan and his dog not recognizing him anymore.

The worst: The final fight with the Chinese demon could have been a bit better.

The detail:  Ted Raimi, brother of Sam Raimi, plays different roles along the movie, like Bruce´s agent, the Sign Painter of the old Chinese man.

With Ridley Scott in the direction and Di Caprio and Russell Crowe as main stars, this is one of the strongest American DVD releases of the year.

Well, it seems that there is no director able to resist the charm of Di Caprio. Here again, the golden boy (well, ok, not a boy anymore) of the American cinema displays another great acting performance, very well backed up by an unusually fat and unattractive-looking Crowe. But undoubtedly, for me the nicest touch of the movie is Mark Strong as Hani Salaam, the chief of the secret services at Jordania.

Although acting is good, the plot is weak. After watching it, I just found it predictable, one more movie in the American chain of movies dealing with Muslim terrorism that counts with The Kingdom or A Mighty Heart as latest examples of how to teach the Western spectator the difference between good and bad Arab citizens. Although the smart spectator can easily find layers of criticism to the American external policy here, it is still a deplorable collection of clichés, being not everything as black and white as Scott wants to portray here. The warfare tension of some other of his movies like Black Hawk Down is missing here, and checking how the American military technology works is something shown in every one of three releases during the last moths, so there is nothing surprising or shocking for the spectator.

All in all, Body of Lies is not a bad movie, but maybe I start to feel a bit oversaturated with these kinds of products. I usually love Ridley Scott, but this is one got me disappointed.

Rating 2/5

The best: Mark Strong as Hani Salaam

The worst: The portray of Muslims as the westerner´s enemies.

The detail: Many of the actors portrayed as Iraquis actually speak Arab with Moroccan accent all over the movie.

Body of Lies Trailer

{mosimage}Here you have a visually shocking French movie that will reveal all the dirty secrets of marketing and PR Business.

 

Yes! Finally I find a French movie I like! (ok, Amelie is another exception to the rule). 99 Francs is funny, irreverent, it always has a high rhythm, it is visually shocking and innovative, and the acting skills of the main characters are just superb. Jean Dujardin looks credible the same when he is snorting kilograms of cocaine or when he is in an isolated island looking like a lost rugby player.  

The plot is good, and shows the cynic aspect of the industry at the same time that you can have some good laughs. The sticky moments involving violence, sex or use of hard drugs are mastered in a way that do not result too much uncomfortable for the spectator, and on top of that the couple of female characters involved with Dujardin are sexy and with a great presence on screen. But undoubtedly, the best parts are during the monotonous business meetings, when you can see hypocrisy working at his top!

 

An intelligent movie that really got me surprised. If I can say something bad, this goes again for the distributors of the DVD, that once more forget to add English subtitles. So if your knowledge of French, Swedish or Finnish is not high, be ready to get a bit lost in translation.

 

Rating 4/5.

 

{mosimage}The best: the final yoghourt ad leaked on TV.

 

The worst: At the end of the movie you will feel like loving or hating yoghourt.

 

The detail: Porn actress Anita Blond appears shortly in the porn videos that Octave watches at home.

{mosimage}A delicious English comedy about the friendship of two young children who get absolutely fascinated by Stallone in First Blood!

Although the movie has a slow start, I certainly enjoyed it more and more. Bill Milner as Will develops his character steadily all over the movie, although it is the young Will Poulter as Lee Carter, the school terror, the one who steals the show with a great performance. 

Added to the good chemistry of the two young new friends, the movie gains in intensity and sense of humour once the bus with the French exchange students arrive to the English school. Jules Sitruk as Didier is a nice fresh of air in the script, and he adds a colourful palette of connotations to the movie, from the fashion and new trends of the 80s to the melancholy of the outcast who is beloved more abroad than at his own home.Added to this, the religious resistance of Will against his community or the final scene at the cinema are some other great highlights of an entertaining movie. If you want to come back to the magic of childhood, this movie is a must see!

Rating 3/5

 

{mosimage}The best: The final scene at the movie featuring the final short movie finished.

The worst: Why English subtitles continue being “forgotten” in most of the DVD releases in Finland?

The detail: Director Garth Jennings makes also his debut as writer of the script.

{mosimage}James Franco and Seth Rogen are brothers in arms with a common goal: to smoke the best marijuana in town!

Well, let´s try to forget the polemic surrounding the movie about if marijuana should be legalized or not, trying to focus on what this product offers. Obviously, not an easy task, if you are totally against the use of marijuana, you probably are not going to find funny this. Luckily that is not my case… so after having laughed quite a lot in some of last Rogen´s movies, I was interested about this new one, with a James Franco in quite an atypical role for him as a drug dealer.

The point is that I was a bit disappointed in the end. Do not misunderstand me, the action is good, there are some good jokes… but I was expecting “something” more.  After watching the movie, I have the impression that it was more about milking the fame that Rogen and Franco have nowadays in Hollywood instead of creating a really cool new comedy.

The soundtrack is one of the strongest points of the movie, but the script is certainly a bit weaker than other Rogen´s ones.; all in all, not a bad comedy if you like the “stoner” genre, but it could have been better with a little more of sharpness in the direction.

Rating 3/5

{mosimage}The best:  watching James Franco stoned.

The worst: That Seth Rogen´s comedy style is starting to become a bit repetitive.

The detail: The script was written by Rogen in 2001. 

{mosimage}Chris Waitts is an independent English filmmaker who puts himself in a vulnerable position interviewing all his ex-girlfriends.

Documentaries are a genre that always brings new surprises every year. For example, recently we could see the splendid Irreligious about religion and now this movie from Waitts that touches the always sticky topic of couple relations.

Our Kurt Cobain look alike friend is not afraid to appear on camera like a loser, trying to analyze the misfortune of his relations with the opposite sex while recording a documentary at the same time. His family also appears in the movie, and although the girlfriends are mostly reluctant at the beginning to appear on screen, in the end he gets a good collection of testimonies.

The idea is good and fresh, but he happens to be such a loser than instead of provoking laugh in the spectator, ends up provoking pity. As well, some situations seem to be “pushed” too far, acted up having the camera in front of, and do not result in being too natural.

Certainly Waitts achieves an interesting movie with almost no budget, and surely this will indulge in a bulk of new female contacts at his MySpace page that could bring some light to his notoriously bad history with women, but it could have turned a bit better with a different perspective.

Rating 3/5

 

{mosimage}The best: The most gorgeous ex-girlfriend happens to be a nymphomaniac…

The worst: … and he did not have sex with her.

The detail: The book by his ex-girlfriend Vicky Allan mentioned in the documentary is titled Stray. 

{mosimage}Ferrell and Reilly are back together in another hilarious movie featuring two jaded step Brothers who behave… like still being 7.

 

One of my favorite comedies in the last years is Talladega Nights, so no wonder I was expecting what Reilly and Ferrell could bring to the show this time. Well, actually I must admit I got a bit disappointed the first time I watched this movie, but I appreciated it more the second time I played it. Obviously, if you are into more deep and philosophical cinema, you are not going to like the easy humor displayed here. Jokes that have to do with shit, sex, bad behavior and a lot of lack of maturity. But if you are a fan of Ferrell’s movies, you will enjoy this one too. The best moments are usually when Brennan`s brother and his wife are around, apart from the exhilarating scene of the nuts sack all over the drum kit.  

Not the best comedy these guys have done, but it is worthy a few good laughs!

 

Rating 3/5

 

{mosimage}The best: I love the T shirts that the main characters wear all over the movie.

 

The worst: That a gang of children in a park can make you literally eat shit

 

The detail: In the final song Por ti Volare, both Ferrell and Reilly are actually performing.

  

{mosimage}The most international Brazilian director, Fernando Meirelles, adapts the book of Nobel Prize Jose Saramago in a polemic and mind-awaken movie.

I had a big curiosity for this movie before watching it. I loved Meirelles previous City of God, and I also had the chance to meet in person Jose Saramago when he visited Helsinki a couple of years ago, so like it or not, I had quite big expectations towards this movie.

In a sense, the idea is pretty good, and the start is promising. But really, some holes in the plot really spoil the result. I have not read the original book, but I have heard opinions that many of the plot holes of the movie are better explained in the book, and I hope that it is true, because they really make you lose concentration on the action. I know this is a parabolic story about the human beings condition and the greed that can show the best and the worst of us, but still, it does not make any sense why the character of Julianne Moore, being the only one who can see in the wards, does not use this to avoid the killing and raping of other people there. The scenes of the women being raped is certainly disturbing, and surely can hurt more than one spectator´s sensibility.

The acting of the characters is good, the cast is certainly astonishing, reuniting people like the previously mentioned Moore, Danny Glover, Gael Bernal… but in some ways, the experiment of transferring the book into a movie does not work. It turns to be boring, non-logical, and slow. People gets annoyed by the flaws in the script instead of focusing on the human inter-actions there.  In my humble opinion, a bit of a disappointment.  

Rating 2/5.

 

{mosimage}The best: Gael Bernal makes a splendid role as the King of Ward Three

The worst: so you are the only one who can see, and still you let blind men abuse you and the people around you, raping and leading to starvation? Come on…

The detail: The National Federation of the Blind seemed not to be very happy about the portrayed image of the blind people in the film.  

{mosimage}Jason Statham is an ex driver who gets a set up to go to jail and compete in the most deadly race ever created by humankind. 

Well, ok, it is pretty clear that the plot of this movie does not turn it into the perfect venue for Oscar interpretations, but I must confess I really enjoyed it very much as a good product of entertainment. The formula of fast cars, actions, adrenaline, pretty girls and friendship inside the walls of a prison works pretty well here. Jason Statham is once more very good in his role of tough action hero, and his effort to be physically fit really pays off in the scenes. Joan Allen as the mean prison director Hennessey is notable, as well as the rest of secondary roles, highlighting the Latin beauty Natalie Martinez as navigator in the car of Statham/Ames.

Great action sequences during the race as well as in some fight scenes and aggressively designed cars that would be the dream of more than one fanatic of “tunning” really places this movie into one of the best action ones I have watched lately. A kind of “Shawsank Redemption with fast cars and more violence” that will not let you down if you want to have a couple of entertaining hours.

Rating 4/5 

 

{mosimage}The best: Statham looking like a MA fighter.

The worst: Machine Gun Joe getting redeemed at the end. Everybody wanted him dead…

The detail: Statham was training with an ex-Navy seal for months to achieve the spectacular physical condition he shows in the film.