a05102267 Reviews

Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie (2010)

Flawed, but watchable

[6/10 · 12 January 2011]

"Ultramarines" managed to catch my attention, despite the fact that I never played the game in which the film was inspired, mostly because, this is one of the very few CGI animated film that wasn't aimed to kids, being way more ambitious and darker than other productions of this kind.

Still, "Ultramarines" is not perfect: The animation is uneven, some details seem somewhat neglected (Like for example, the eyes of the characters, which seem totally devoid of any kind of emotion) some parts of the story were slow and boring (And a bit confusing) On the other side, the voice acting was pretty good, and the music score gives this an epic atmosphere. Also, I liked the fact that in this film weren't any single kind of annoying cliché that are some common in other films (Animated or not) something that makes this flick way more interesting and attractive, at least for me.

Even when this title doesn't have a spectacular animation (Like, for example, movies like "Beowulf" or "Final Fantasy: Advent Children") I still found this to be good and worth-watching. Personally I found it to be a decent action flick, that doesn't live up for the whole potential that it had, but which is much better than almost all the other movies inspired in video-games.

Inland Empire (2006)

The craziest film of the recent years

[9/10 · 7 October 2010]

The thing with most of the films made by David Lynch is that, you either love or hate them. And in "Inland Empire", the common elements present in his previous movies are taken to a extreme point, that even the most hardcore Lynch fans will found absolutely confusing and self indulgent.

And yet, I found this film to be extraordinary. Why? Because, after seeing a lot of fantasy/ horror/ thriller films, one could think that everything was said, that there is nothing that could be add in those genres...But this film speaks otherwise: "Inland Empire" is a triumph of the imagination over the coherence (And that is the reason why I could understand why so many people dislikes this film) the supremacy of the dreams over the reality. This film is unpredictable, twisted, and filled with sophisticated nonsense, the kind of film that you could watch hundred of times, and always will be equally surprising as the first time.

Laura Dern's performance is simply outstanding: I just couldn't think in any other actress able to do the incredible effort required by this movie, in which Lynch introduces us into a wild world of dreams and nightmares, even more intense than his previous films, such as "Eraserhead" and "Lost Highway".

Just like "Toy Story 3" is considered by many film-goers as a delightful love-letter to all those that enjoyed that franchise of movies since the very beginning of it, this could be considered as the very own message to all those that loved his previous work...And all those who dare to dream beyond any kind of limit.

Resident Evil (2002)

Painful to watch

[1/10 · 7 October 2010]

Many reviewers consider this to be one the best adaptations of a video game into a film...Well, I have to disagree, mostly because I love all the Resident Evil games, and even when this is much better than things such as "Doom" or "Bloodrayne", it is just doesn't make any justice to the original games in which this movie is inspired.

This film betrays the original roots of the game, focusing in the action rather than the horror parts (Sure: The games had lots of action, but also had lots of thrills, mystery and subtlety, something that this film completely lacks) The other problem with this film is the terrible direction of Paul W.S. Anderson, which ruins a great story, turning the whole thing into a huge mess that is barely watchable. As a movie independent of the games, it is mediocre at best. But as an adaptation it is just terrible, dreadful film.

The Ricky Gervais Show (2010–2012)

I love this show

[10/10 · 7 October 2010]

"The Ricky Gervais Show" is one of the funniest, most clever and brilliant show (Animated or not) that I had the chance to see. It is interesting to note how the original audio of this show turns even better as a cartoon, giving an extra appeal to the surrealistic stories that are told by the three comedians; Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington: The way in which the three interact is the main factor of humor, being by far the funniest segment the lecture of Karl Pilkington's diary. The animation is pretty good: The designs remind me a lot the classic cartoons made by Hannah Barbera, being simple, but very expressive at the same time. This is, by far, one of the best animated comedies of the recent years, and it feels like a breath of fresh air, after so many bad shows that try too hard to be like "The Simpsons" or more offensive than "South Park"

Waking Life (2001)

Just like a dream

[10/10 · 7 September 2010]

Like most of the films of David Lynch, "Waking Life" dares to explore the sometimes dark, sometimes amusing, but always fascinating world of dreams. Not only the plot(Or lack of it thereof) refuses to follow a conventional structure or "logic" (Except, of course, "the logic" of the dreams) but also the strange, deranged visual style of this film made us think about those worlds inside our minds, the world of dreams and imagination. "Waking Life" makes a quite interesting portrayal of those worlds, focusing in the unpredictable nature of it, showing as well, the parallels existent between dreams and reality: It might look like something real but it isn't. The viewer can either agrees or not with many of the thoughts expressed in this film, but the way in which those thoughts are expressed is magnificent, giving us a lot of perspectives, lot of different views of life, death, reality and many other themes, but without forcing the viewer to accept one as the "True" and definitive one. And is that quality that made me love this film even more, and consider it a unique, and unrepeatable film experience.

A Dog's Life (1962)

The worst "documentary" that I've ever saw

[1/10 · 7 September 2010]

If you are into movies like "Cannibal Holocaust", "Caligula" or "Faces of Death", probably you will find this "documentary" interesting. Otherwise, if you are not into this kind of films, you will find this gross, tedious, disgusting, exploitative, lame, uninspired and immensely pretentious (Yes, pretentious) Because this movie, like "Caligula" dis some year later, tries too hard to be the most shocking film ever made, showing us the most unpleasant kind of scenes, one after another, but there is no beauty, there is no art in any single frame of this, only a convoluted mess that tries to show us some of the most decadent aspects of humanity in a sensationalistic way. "Mondo Cane" is a horrible film, the kind of film that I won't like to see again ever in my life.

I give this one star, only because I can't rate it lower.

A Scanner Darkly (2006)

Light and darkness

[10/10 · 7 September 2010]

I really, really liked this film. Linklater is a very special kind of filmmaker, and "A Scanner Darkly" is (Just like the other animated film of Linklater "Waking Life") a very special kind of film. It shares many things in common with "Waking Life", not only in the visual technique (A technique that the viewer can either love or hate, but which gives this film a unique look) but also with the ambiguous, dream-like plot. If "Waking Life" showed us the strange, fascinating world of dreams, "A Scanner Darkly" shows us an equally strange and unpredictable world, but even more dangerous: The world of hallucinations induced by drugs, which is merely a plot device to made the viewer think about the ambiguous concept of what we usually perceive as "reality". And yes, despite the eerie tone of many of the scenes and the general plot of the movie, there are several moments of humor, that not only work very well, but also made the experience of this film highly enjoyable and even captivating. "A Scanner Darkly" confirms Richard Linklater as one of the most talented filmmakers of the recent years. I would recommend it to any viewer.

Final Destination (2000)

Uninteresting

[1/10 · 22 July 2010]

I never understood what was the big deal with this movie. Some friends made me watch this, promising me that it was something like "The future of slasher" films, but what I saw was a crummy, boring and flat film, full of clichés and incredibly predictable plot "twists". (I could see the ending coming from the very first minutes) "Final Destination" is just another, typical slasher film, made for commercial reasons. Not that I have something against that, but…I guess that this film is not my cup of tea. This is supposed to be entertaining. And yet, I found it to be pretty boring and flat. I would say that is even a bland film, despite all the violence. I wasn't entertained at all by this film. I found it to be the kind of film to someone forgets just after seeing it. I found this dull and uninspired. (And uninspiring as well) No wonder why that horrible "Dragonball" film was a flop, if it was directed by the same guy who was behind this drivel.

12 oz. Mouse (2005–2020)

Twelve Oz Mouse

[10/10 · 22 July 2010]

What could be said about a series like "12 oz Mouse"? Some love it, many others hate it. For many people, is just a stupid, nonsensical show. Perhaps it is: Many people expected this to be something like "Aqua Teen Hunger" (It was made by the same creator, after all) just to find a weird story of some sort, about a drunk, crudely drawn green mouse with amnesia. ..And it was incredibly, incredibly unfunny. But it was supposed to be funny? I think not. There is clearly an eerie, thrilling subtext behind all the absurdity. There is confusing mystery that grows more and more while the series advances, just like in "Twin Peaks" and "Lost". But the characters are absurd, and the mystery of the story is equally confusing as well. So how we are able to judge a series like it? Some would call this "trash" (And many other worse thing) Never mind, they are on their right to think on that way. But personally, I enjoyed "12 oz Mouse". I was trapped by its absurdity and nonsense from the very first moment. I loved to follow the strange plots and situations. In some moments, I even pretended to know what all was about. But "12 oz Mouse" is beyond any meaning, is a unique work of art, and probably it would never will be any other series as this. This is the kind of art that the viewer could love or hate. That doesn't mean that the people that likes it is more intelligent than the people that hates it, it just a matter of different tastes, the result of our different concepts of what is artistic and what is not, what is funny and what is boring. "12 oz Mouse" is, to me, a work of art. From the very first moment that I saw this, I didn't know very well what to expect…And I wasn't disappointed for what came next. "12 oz Mouse is 12 oz Mouse" says one reviewer. I couldn't agree more with that.

Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

The worst kind of film that you could imagine

[1/10 · 22 July 2010]

Despite all my love for violent, gory, films, I can barely tolerate this movie. Not because it shocked me, but mostly due the contradictory and nonsensical message of this: We, the viewers, are supposed to believe that this is a criticism of how the media makes the public hardhearted and indifferent toward the violence, but deep inside, is just a vulgar, exploitative film that only wants to shock the audience. There is absolutely no beauty, fun or joy in this film. It is ludicrous and disgusting, but it takes itself way too seriously to be unintentionally funny or interesting. Ruggero Deodato shows us the most shocking and disgusting scenes, but unlike filmmakers as David Cronenberg, who are able to make the ugliest and most grotesque situations beautiful and poetical, those scenes are just plain ugly and tasteless…The title of the movie "Cannibal Holocaust" promises us a cheesy, gory B-movie, and yet, what it delivers is a dull, pretentious and heavy handed tale of human cruelty, without any kind of originality nor art. "Cannibal Holocaust" is a complete mess. It tries to be way too hard to be solemn and poignant, and instead of that it ends being just nihilistic and boring. Yes: There is a lot of blood, sex and violence in this film. Yes: The animal cruelty goes beyond anything that I had ever seen before. But it is a good –horror film? I don't think so. There are thrills, no mystery or anything that should be considered as horror material. Just mindless, graphic violence, without any beauty. That's all. This movie was a huge disappointment to be, especially after all the good things I have heard about it. I simply hated it, from beginning to end.

Hellsing (2001–2002)

A reasonably entertaining anime series

[8/10 · 22 July 2010]

"Hellsing" was a good series. It wasn't a great series on the same level of "Cowboy Bebop", "Evangelion" or "Paranoia Agent", but it was good enough to me. From the very first moment, this seems very promising, and what it delivers doesn't disappoint. Despite the eerie atmosphere, the gore, and the monsters, "Hellsing" offers more action than horror, but that is fine: The animation and the character designs are quite well made the action scenes are great, and the music is simply excellent, combining rock, jazz and blues, in way very similar to "Cowboy Bebop". The characters are another good aspect of this series. They are all interesting and likable, even the villains. It is good to see that it avoids most of the anime clichés in the action genre, managing to be dark and fun at the same time. And speaking about fun, is quite goo too see that "Hellsing" has enough sense of humor to make fun of itself, giving us a few, but effective glimpses of black humor and self-parody. I would recommend "Hellsing" to anyone. Even when this won't change your life, it won't hurt, either.

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

the poetry of horror

[10/10 · 22 July 2010]

I really, really love this kind of animated films. "Waltz with Bashir", along with "The Grave of the Fireflies" is probably one of the best expressions of the horrors of war, that it wonderfully manages to combine the violence and the cruelty with sequences of such beauty that makes us think of how even in the most bleak situations, there can be few glimpses of happiness, fun and joy, reaching an almost whimsical, poetic tone in some parts of it. Yet, those beautiful images aren't made to make us to forget the horror and the misery that we watch: The dreams and the poetry live at the same time with the violence, the injustice, and the oblivion. One character tries to reach in his memory many answers for the present, and what he found is something quite different that we could expect in this kind of films. Memory could be tricky sometimes. We choose what we want to remember, but the reality is still there, and past can be changed. But the past is part of what we are, no matter how bad or horrible it is, and no matter how much we make efforts to forget it. This was my very own opinion about this film. Not many times I was lucky enough to see films like this, but the whole experience of this movie was widely rewarding and fulfilling.

"Walts with Bashir" it is a masterpiece. No more, no less.

The Fall (I) (2006)

The Princess Bride on steroids.

[9/10 · 28 June 2010]

The charm of "The Princess Bride". The eccentricities of "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen". The cruelty of "Pan's Labyrinth". And add to all this, the astonishing visuals from documentaries like "Baraka" and "Powaqqatsi". Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is crazy, but the good kind of craziness.

"The Fall" is a very special kind of movie: It can be very innocent and lighthearted at times, but it can be dark and intense as well. That is one of it best qualities of this film: The way in which the director manages to combine the innocence with the brutality, (Both in the reality and in the fantasy) in order to give us a fascinating tale, where the tenderness and the joy to live are combined with the blood and the despair.

Unlike the previous film of Tarsem Singh, "The Cell", the strength of "The Fall" not only lays on the visuals, but in the story and the characters as well. Sure, at first sight those elements seem to be very simplistic and typical, but as the story advances, it gets more and more captivating. The imaginary world could be an escape from harsh reality, but also it could be the place where someone has to challenge one's personal demons. The death and the sadness quickly invade the fairy tale, changing the course of it. But there is also the hope and the light. And this movie manages to combine very well all this characteristics without using stereotypes or forced situations. And the performance of Cantica Untaru only helps to make this film an unforgettable experience, the kind of film that leaves you with a smile in the face…And probably some tears in your cheeks too.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Steven Spielberg has brought us another masterpiece

[9/10 · 24 July 2008]

Everything that you could have heard about "Saving Private Ryan" is true.

You may have heard about the opening battle footage. It's a little over twenty minutes long, and it's some of the most violent footage ever put to film. To be honest with you, I expected worse, but it's not so much the violence as much as the horror of it all. It's just sickening.(And I say that as a compliment)

When the actual search for "Private Ryan" happens, you're introduced to the characters and their personalities. They're all very distinct. Some think that casting Tom Hanks as the captain was a bad choice, but I disagree. He's perfect. The rest of the cast is just as good. It features great actors that include Tom Sizemore, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper, Giovanni Ribisi (I related to his character the most), Matt Damon, and a surprisingly good performance by actor/filmmaker, Ed Burns. The only actor I had a problem with was Jeremy Davies as the interpreter. I've seen Davies in several other movies ("Spanking the Monkey" and "Going All the Way") and he always plays the same annoying wuss character (picture Henry Thomas, but much skinnier and more geeky-looking). I dunno, maybe I'm just nit-picking. It WAS kinda necessary for the character. By the way, there's an interesting bit part played by a major TV celebrity. I don't know why he's in this movie, but it was an unexpected surprise.

The script was written by Robert Rodat (who also wrote "Fly Away Home" and "Tall Tale") and had uncredited rewrites from Scott Frank (wrote "Dead Again" and adapted "Get Shorty" and the great "Out of Sight") and Frank Darabont (wrote the 1994 version of "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein," "A Nightmare on Elm Street III," and "The Fly II," but he's known best for writing and directing "The Shawshank Redemption"), and though it's not a perfect script, it's a damn good one. My biggest problem was the bookend parts set in the present. Unnecessary, I thought.

Steven Spielberg is strange in that he'll make mindless movie blockbusters that are well-directed, but lack any substance, and then he'll turn around and make "The Color Purple," "Schindler's List," or "Saving Private Ryan." It almost seems as though he makes some movies just to fill his pockets, and then once his pockets are filled enough, he'll do something from the heart. Steven Spielberg truly is a genius filmmaker, and with as much acclaim as he gets now, he still seems underrated. I just can't believe that "Shakespeare In Love" got the Academy Award of best movie when this one was clearly a better film in every aspect. What a shame.

Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989)

Thanks, but no.

[1/10 · 24 July 2008]

Just like "Violence Jack" all the hype surrounding this movie is about the shock value, but deep inside this movie isn't very good or interesting. It is the kind of movie that wants to be "edgy" or "extreme" but fails in the characterization, uses a muddled and incoherent plot and one-dimensional characters.(All the women are defenseless victims or sex-starved harpies and things like that.) Now you could say that " it is a porn movie, who cares about character development", maybe, but I think that "Urostsokidoji" is just the example of why people that hates anime says things like the fans are going to love anything that came form Japan if it have lots of mindless violence, naked girls with big breasts being raped and whining . I only have seen the edited version, so I guess that the original would be less confusing and muddled (or maybe not)As movies go, the art of this one isn't the best. It would have been acceptable as an OAV (which originally was before editing) since the art and animation is decent, if not great. It's an old title, and it shows. Tentacle rape? No thanks.

Silent Hill 2 (2001 Video Game)

A great sequel of a great game

[10/10 · 24 July 2008]

I don't like very much video games, but "Silent Hill 2" is one of the best games that I've played. This sequel improves every aspect of the first game: The story, the characters, the graphics...And it made a great job combining horror and drama, creating a interesting story. The new monsters designs are quite good, every single monster had a unique and grotesque appearance, and the atmosphere is thrilling and beautiful as well. And talking about the atmosphere, the music of Akira Yamaoka fits very well with all the scenes of the game, using not only thrilling and scary music, but sad and dramatic tones as well. By last I want to mention something about the voice acting: It is much better than the first one(Propbably the weakest point of the first "Silent Hill" were the odd voices of the main characters) and the voices go very well with the characters.

I recommend this game to anyone. It starts slow, starts but when it picks up, you're hooked. If you are a fan of the horror genre, then this is your game. It is more terrifying than many of the horror movies of the recent years.

Broken Saints (2001–2003)

One of the best animations of the recent years.

[10/10 · 23 July 2008]

If you like mystery, sci-fi and horror, you should take a look on "Broken saints" a unique and surreal animated series, being thrilling and emotional at the same time. After I saw the fist episode, I was captivated by the style used by Brooke Burgess: the music,the voices, the atmosphere, the use of colors, everything on "Broken Saints" fits very well with the dark tone of the series. The animation style is quite interesting:Like a comic, characters on the most part remain in static poses and dialogue is indicated by speech balloons. However, rather than exclusively using sequential panels, animated sequences are used to switch scenes and help advance the story, while some music and sound effects are included, lending a more cinematic experience than one would ordinarily achieve with a comic strip alone. And the result of all of this is "Broken Saints", a series that deserves more appreciation that it actually receives.I recommend this tittle to every animation fan.

Santa Sangre (1989)

This movie is better than many other films with a similar story

[9/10 · 23 July 2008]

How many times have been made movies about serial killers that had preference for beautiful women? I guess that the whole genre has turned into something predictable and formulaic. But not here. What is more, I think that "Santa Sangre" deserves all the praise that it receives, being one of the best thrillers ever made, just like "Psycho" of Alfred Hitchcok. Alejandro Jodorowsky returns after the failure of "Tusk", using all the imagery and bizarre characters that made him so popular and controversial. However, "Santa Sangre" follows a more logical story, and that makes this film more accessible to a wider audience. And despite that, the direction of Jodorowsky proves again to be unique showing us scenes that are beautiful and grotesque at the same time. Sequences as "The Creation of the World", the burial of the elephant and the brutal murders as well of the city were hard to forget, considering the strangeness and visual impact of those scenes. Alejandro Jodorowsky made only one film after this: "The Rainbow Thief" a film more light-hearted and (very much)less violent than this one, but I found it good. It will be interesting to see the results of his upcoming project "King Shot" Meanwhile, I strongly recommend you this film.

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The last task is for the viewer

[9/10 · 23 July 2008]

"Pan's Labyrinth" is one of those movies that deserved all the praise that it receives. Now imagine if a movie has the cruelty and the horror of movies as "In Company of Wolves", the dark beauty of Tim Burton's films and the nostalgic tone of the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. "Pan's Labyrinth" has all that and more. The story could be taken literally as the way that everything that happens in the movie is real, but also could be seen as a symbol of the feelings of the characters in the hard times that they live. Ofelia, the main character is a girl that dreams with her own world of fantasy when the reality fails her miserably. And after he mets the strange faun (played wonderfully by Doug Jones, who also made a great work playing the terrifying Pale Man) she finds her hope, but also learns about all the evilness around her, the cruelty and the lack of humanity of the world that she lives, something that seems more terrifying than giant frogs or strange monsters. At the end, the faun offers her chose between her dreams and what is good. And she chooses, and then the ambiguous (and yet, somewhat hopeful) ending came. So here is a last task for the viewers of the film made by Guillermo del Toro: If that those viewers are able to accept the fantasy or if they will reject it considering that everything was in Ofelia's mind. Many theories have been mentioned in different web sites, some trying to prove that everything related with the fantasy (the faun, the fairies, the monsters and the magical kingdom) were only imagination, while others are convinced that all the events of the movie were real. However, there is nothing to prove: The film's tone is ambiguous, letting the viewers chose whatever they want according their perception of the reality. I guess that it is the message of "Pan's Labyrinth": how our perception of the world makes us chose our decisions, to chose between right and wrong, to chose to believe or not. It is very much like believing in the after-life, and some religious imagery shows us that this wasn't unintentional. Besides that, the film is wonderful: the direction is great, the atmosphere is very well made, the performances are incredible (Specially Sergi López as the evil Captain Vidal, that is by more terrifying than any of the monsters of the film) This is a good example of adult fantasy, and is probably a unique movie in his genre. Now that Guillermo del Toro is working on "The Hobbit" we know that we could wait for the best.

Violence Jack: Violence Jack, Part 1, Slum King (1986) Season 1, Episode 1

A lot of gratuitous violence and nudity can't replace a plot.

[1/10 · 23 July 2008]

"Violence Jack" is that animated adaptation of one comic book by Go Nagai of the same name, that was a sequel of one of his best works, "Devilman". I never read the comic book, but this one just did't convince me. I don't have trouble with graphic violence, or sex, or nudity, but what I hated about "Violence Jack" is that this movie seems to be made by people that consider the anime fans as people who doesn't care about the plot if it has naked girls, graphic violence and a "cool" main character. The first time that I saw this, somebody said that this was a "true" anime. Well, I don't agree. I don't think that the best thing about Japanese animation, but the good stories and interesting characters and good animation as well. (Actually the animation of "Violence Jack" isn't that bad) And this title lacks of everything that I mentioned before: The characters are bland and one-dimensional, everything is gratuitous and illogical, not to mention the plot holes and the absurd ending. I think that "Violence Jack" isn't my cup of tea. I guess that if you are more into this kind of stuff you will enjoy this more than I did.

Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures (1987–1988)

It saved the 80's cartoons

[10/10 · 22 July 2008]

"The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse" was a a cartoon ahead of his time. During the 80's,most cartoons were basically made in order to sell toys, or were inspired in any cultural phenomena of the decade (real action movies, video-games, old TV-shows) and most of them weren't funny or interesting at all. And that's what makes this show great: It was exactly the opposite of those dull shows, that didn't have any personality or fun at all, using a more mature and complex sense of humor that made this remake superior to the original. The New Mighty Mouse not only had a better characterization and stories than most cartoons of the recent days, but it also had the wit and charm the many shows aimed to children would like to have. And yes, it have the strange elements that are common in the works of John Kricfalusi and Ralph Bakshi, and that isn't a problem, but only makes this cartoon better. "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse" is a highly underrated cartoon, considering how it influenced in modern animation,something that is a shame.

The Holy Mountain (1973)

Turning excrement into gold

[9/10 · 22 July 2008]

"The Holy Mountain", the third film of Alejandro Jodorowsky after his controversial cult-film "El Topo", is probably his most polished and interesting work. Basically it combines surrealism, satire, and religious and sacrilege imagery to create a bizarre tale of a group of eccentric characters in their search to reach the immortality. Just like "El Topo" the characters have no deep, they are mere symbols to serve the purpose of the story, a story that could be find by some people as pretentious or too strange, but the direction of Jodorowsky made this film something original and unique. There are several elements of satire of modern society, that work very well to introduce us the characters of the story (each symbolizing a planet) their way to reach their goal until a surprising ending (I won't reveal it, but I want to mention that the ending is one of the best that I've seen in a movie, working very well with overall tone of the movie) "The Holy Mountain" is a unique film. It was ahead of his time and it is the best work of his director.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

Good ending to a great show

[9/10 · 22 July 2008]

"Evangelion" was one of the best animated shows ever made, showing that the giant robot genre could be more than big machines fighting each other...Well, part of the series has those elements of shows as "Mazinger Z", but later in the series it grows into something more mature and complex, and more psychological and darker as well.

"The End of Evangelion" offers the same good elements of the original show, but it goes beyond the limits of the original series, something that makes this film a unique and disturbing (but good) experience.

The animation was quite good.The visual mastery of the production is perfect! The juxtaposition between the Live scenes and the anime frames is both subtle and symbolic. The battle scene of Asuka's last stand against the mass produced Evas is unchallenged as the best battle scene in the entire series. Every frame of the Armageddon sequence is a piece of art.

"End of Evangelion" is brilliant. Especially the song juxtaposing the Third Impact, Come Sweet Death, exemplified the complex emotions of the human heart in ways that art and plot cannot. The music is mostly sad, morbid, or foreboding as expected in a end of the world scenario, but the best qualities of every song was complimented to enhance its effects on the whole story. It's truly a masterpiece

300 (2006)

A weak and immature attempt of epic.

[1/10 · 22 July 2008]

"300" ,the new movie of Zack Snyder, who made a very decent remake of George Romero's "Dawn of the Dead", would please the fans of the graphic novel in which this film is inspired, rather than those who are interested in historical accuracy or at least, something less exaggerated or ridiculous. (Ironically enough, the comic book of Frank Miller was inspired in "The 300 Spartans" that is a much better film in almost all the aspects, and it had a more interesting and realistic portrayal of the Battle of Thermopylae ) The plot, despite the violence and the nudity, is nothing but a childish amount of clichés as present as the good guys as handsome, muscular and tanned, while the "bad guys" are weak, ugly and effeminate, ridiculous use of the most obvious and blatant stereotypes, and a MTV-visual technique flashy enough to please teens but not enough good to make us forget about the lack of deep, characterization or anything that could have made this film more interesting than it actually is.

If your looking for mindless violence and cartoonish characterization of events in bold sepia tones and loud digitally mastered sound, then "300" will be your cup of tea. If not, try "The 300 Spartans" if you are interested of Rudolph Maté, which is a fairly superior film.

Invader ZIM (2001–2006)

Too bad it was canceled.

[10/10 · 4 July 2008]

"Invader Zim" was one of the best shows of Nickelodeon. It was dark and the humor was sarcastic and sometimes mean, but that is what make it so special. Created by Johnen Vazquez, comic book artist and author of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, came with this incredible show. Even when the show was intended to children, the style and the character are quite interesting for teenagers and adults as well.

Basically it follows the adventures of a little and destructive alien called Zim, in his attempt to conquer the planet Earth as a "mission" (when actually the leaders send him to earth just to get rid of him) accompanied by Gir, a stupid but adorable robot as his sidekick.

Invader Zim is not like the other Nicktoons, it is more original and mature. However, like many good shows, it was canceled, without giving it a chance. What a shame (Same thing happened with "Ren & Stimpy" another good show of Nickelodeon)