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The Blacklist (2013)
A new type of hero!
After Reddington's reveal at the end of the 8th season, I thought it was a cop-out by the writer, and I had to rewatch the entire show. To my amazement, the true identity of Reddington is there - from the very beginning, and teased in several dialogues and episodes. Many incredible or cryptic things he does or says, many weird or inexplicable plot-points, become obvious once you realise that Reddington is, in fact, A TRANSEXUAL WOMAN. To be more precise, he's KATARINA ROSTOVA herself. He's even seen injecting testosterone in the 6th season! My congratulations to the writers for concealing it the entire show!!!
Host (2020)
Too much ado done with barely nothing
It's a simple premisse, a short story, no need for character development. An exercise on jumpscares. Found it original, and creative in the sense that it's made during pandemic confinement and it shows, like the scene when one of the girls runs to a friends house but takes the mask outside with her. Using zoom is a good idea, the Ensiferum do the same for the clip of "Rum, Women, Victory" from its last album "Thalassic".
Many scary scenes are either subliminal (what was that on the corner of the screen?) or unexpected (the towel scene... NO SPOILERS!), my wife jumped half a dozen times, and she's not a scary one.
The end is a cliché of horror movies, but what'd you expect? For a last minute salvation? That's also a cliché!
It has humour (the food delivery scene), surprise (the background scene), one or two heart attacks on the making (again, the towel scene... creepy!), and it was totally refreshing to see such a simple and entertaining movie amidst the 2020 pandemic.
Congratulations to the creator.
Project Blue Book (2019)
What gives?!?
Why, oh why, did I find this pilot episode so entertaining?
Was it Aidan Gillen nailing an interesting interpretation that made me forget he was nauseous Littlefinger?
Was it the fact that it is about UFO's?
Was it the 'Xfiley' feeling or the 50's ambiance?
Because it surely wasn't the cheesy plot or the amateurish special effects. Nothing new on this show, yet I watched and I want to keep on watching it. And my wife loved it. A bit 'Ancient-alienish' to my taste but it's History Channel so I give them a pass.
Hope it doesn't fall (even further) into stereotypes...
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Finally. A movie to match the original!
Many people are disgusted with the path taken in the most recent trilogy. SW: TLJ is not a good movie. I grant that. But, should S:aSWS suffer because of it. No. It would be unjust.
This is the second spin-off, or "A Star Wars Story" to be made into movie (there are also the TV animated shows). If "Rogue One" was the story of a misfit with a troubled past lost inside the Rebellion, S:aSWS is the mirror image of that. It is the story of a misfit with a troubled past lost inside the world of organized crime and political power that supports the Empire. And what a story that makes!
For videogame buffs (and 'Borderlands' fans), many scene ideas were recognisable from some of the most fantastic videogames.
And I watched it on IMAX 3D. Nuff said.
This movie treats its viewers as adults. It weaves its story artfully with some of the most iconic facts of the Star Wars Universe: meeting Chewbacca, getting the Millenium Falcon, making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs (if you round it down...). These do not seem imposed on the movie, as eyeblinks to the fan, but come naturally and allow for character and story development. Whoever wrote and directed this movie knew what they were doing.
The scenes change from dirty cities to muddy battlefields, icy planets, dark mines, paradisiac beaches, and the actors never lose the grip on their characters.
In the end, you end up realising this is the same Han Solo portrayed by Harrison Ford, only younger - and this one does shoot first!
Go see it. It rocks! It will give you the same thrill as the first movie did back in the 70's.
The X Files: The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat (2018)
What the heck did I just saw?
Possibly the best episode of this season - nay, of the whole show!
Starting like one of those old 'Twilight Zone' episodes, the rest of the episode is a mockery of mistery and sci-fi shows - and a parody of X-Files itself. Nothing should be taken seriously and I still don't believe how David and Gillian accepted the part on this episode. It's painful to watch these two acting like clown versions of their characters.
Yet... I loved the entire story. The idea that, in today's society, we cannot rely on memory because everything we know can and will be altered to satisfy political and economic purposes, hits today's society right where it hurts.
And the comical aspects are surrealistically brilliant! Trump's 'real' inauguration, the 'floating alien' who is, in fact, riding a Segway, even the fake cut eliminating part of the episode to hide some company's name - these details hide, behind the façade of a stupid episode, a well thought and written one.
I could watch it over and over again without getting tired, and laughed like a madman with most of the jokes. In a few years this may become a cult episode of X-Files - although it is not what anyone would expect from the show.
The image of Mulder, standing dumbfounded in the middle of the laughing statues ( Vancouver's 'A-maze-ing Laughter' sculpture by Yue Minjun), is a picture of the spectator dumbfounded at the episode: the writers are laughing at him - and maybe whole society is, because if you can't see the truth about society, you are a clown.
The Truth is still out there. RIP Reggie Something.
Pára-me de repente o pensamento (2014)
A movie real as life
Right from the start, patients I treated and colleagues I trained, appear on screen. Slowly, without fuss, I was introduced into the normal day-to- day life of an old psychiatric hospital from Portugal. The dialogs are not written or improvised, but normal conversation between patients, and with their carers. A window opens to simple lifes inside the hospital walls. A theater play is being prepared to commemorate an important visit by a dignitary decades ago. An actor comes to the hospital, he is going to play a famous poet who lived for years inside the hospital. But first, he must learn to know, and think, and feel, the life of the patients. Silence is only interrupted by the dialogs, and the sound of rain. It's winter. But the relationships between the real people living inside the hospital, are never cold. A must see.
Z Nation (2014)
The 'Firefly' of Zombie shows
Yes, this is pretty much the 'Firefly' of zombie shows, minus Joss Whedon's excellent dialog, and the incredible cast. But it takes zombie shows to a new level. Basically, Z Nation revisits every single stereotype of zombie movies, and manages to make it work. The cannibals, the cults, the gangs, the dilemmas - nothing here is new. We've seen it before in every other zombie show. And some of the first episodes are somewhat dull in the beginning, but they pick up steam as they go along. Ramming through a fence with a pick truck blaring the 'Valkyries' through a huge speaker on the roof, like in 'Apocalypse Now'? Instant classic! With time, characters are developing, evolving, and the story is becoming interesting. Every episode takes a page from some other show (a tornado of zombies? "Well, they're not sharks!") and flips it over, developing it's own background story (The 'mercy' killings, the 'Black Summer', etc). Although I thought of this show as a rip-off of TWD, I found myself laughing at some dialogs and scenes. Getting your pickup truck stolen twice? In a row? In less than five minutes? Wow, big heroes! There is only one thing this show needs. A cameo from Nathan Fillion. Now, THAT would rock my world!
The Knick (2014)
Time travel, medical style
Most period shows suffer from the temptation to show ancient times through a modern lens. Writers seem to believe "Bah! life was dull back then, nothing new here, let's improvise some!" Anacronism and political correctness abound in period shows and such; not even Game of THrones dares to call Tyrion "a midget", it's always "dwarf" or "little people". Cut to The Knick. Yes, this was America in 1900. Corruption, racism, arrogance. No, the hero is not a nice guy and he's a cocaine addict. No, the director of the hospital is not an asshole, he's quite a nice chap, though he tends to steal money from the hospital's budget. No, the rich people are not arrogant, they are quite condescending to those poor little blackies. And the Negroes, no, they are not brave and indomitable people making the best of a racist society, they tend to be rough, stupid and weak. The nurses? White and dumb. The surgeons? Ignoramuses! The state authorities? Corrupt. THe patients? Doing quite well, considering they know that 'disease', in 1900, is synonymous to 'death sentence'. Three episodes down, zero survivors. Not bad! That's what I like in this show: they don't wash down the late 19th century cultural arrogance, they don't make racism look pretty, they don't fall into stereotyping the rich and powerful. Everybody here is a nice person, everybody has a moral fault, everybody is human. THe Knick is possibly the best show in decades. And Clive Owen rocks! Give that guy an Emmy already!
Skinwalker Ranch (2013)
A very important documentary
What I like most about this movie is that it cares little about movie-making and more about alerting viewers about the danger of chasing alien wolf-hyenas in the dark.
It all starts with a statement about time slips that occur every day at 11:11 PM; that's really 23:11 but I think neither 23:11 nor 23:23 are as scary as 11:11. Thank God it all starts when the scientists first arrive at the ranch. Not that it's a first for the enterprise they are working for. But it's for them. So hell starts breaking loose as soon as they arrive with their cameras; hell loves an audience!
One lesson I learned from this movie is that VHS tapes from the 60's are prone to electromagnetic interference pretty much like today's digital cameras. And the frames tend to slip too. Maybe that explain the 90's clothing and hairdo on the people filmed on the 60's tape.
And, if you find boxes your bosses have buried in a closed barn 50 years previously, without telling you anything about it, stop digging after the second one, because the third is prone to have one of those dreadful 60's VHS tapes with electromagnetic interference and people dressing like it's the 90's.
In the end, we all know what really happened in the Skywalker Ranch, and that if it ever happens at our house, all we have to do is to stand in the kitchen at 11:11PM to watch our loved ones running through. Mind the alien wolf-hyenas, though!
I lived my entire life waiting to see a movie like this. KUdos to it's director, Ed Wood...
World War Z (2013)
The review to end all reviews
You know the "World War Z" novel? That magnificent novel about how Humankind survived the Great Panic and the "Zombie War One"? No relation to this movie. So, let's talk about the "Left 4 Dead" series of videogames: chopper escape from rooftops while fighting zombies? Check! Refuelling a cargo plane on an abandoned military tarmac while fighting zombies? Check! Hordes of howling zombies attacking the heroes who narrowly escape? Check again! I swear someone shouted "HUNTER!" in the middle of the game... sorry, middle of the movie! "World War Z" is the recollection of dozens of testimonies about the great zombie epidemic that almost destroyed the Human race; the author interviewed people from every profession, every religion, every nation, who give us their own unique view about how they survived, and how their own personal episode was a piece of the puzzle of Human survival, thus highlighting the best and worse of Human nature. One of the best stories ever! The movie, on the other hand... was nothing such! Play the game. Read the novel. Skip the movie...
Ancient Aliens (2009)
Weirdo show? or is it?!
"Ancient Aliens" is all about a show claiming the most absurd and fantastic claims, with little or no evidence at all. Jumping to conclusions most of the time, jumps made by the usual suspects, it is a wonder why I saw all three seasons! Well, maybe because this show has some value. There are a few things that, although unproven or exaggerated, manage to draw my skeptic's attention; to be a skeptic does not mean "not to believe in anything", it just means that we should question everything before believing in it. And some claims in this show are worthy of investigation. (begin spoilers!) The overall structure of the show is very well built around the idea that Humankind has a long lost connection with some alien civilization, that possibly never really left us but somehow went into a long journey, or ventured into some alternate dimension, or simply left us alone when they found out we were too smart to ignore them, but (and this message is pounded over and over again) there are signs that those long lost alien relatives are coming back very soon. In a matter of fact, no matter the subject, almost all episodes end in a same sentence of sorts "they are coming back and we must be ready for them!" The third season shows that the subject has been completely covered in the first two seasons; the third is just a rerun of some plot points, and a few "Da Vinci Code" episodes about Freemasonry, Founding Fathers, and whatever... I find the first two seasons compelling; and I almost came to believe they are coming back. Let's hope so!
La horde (2009)
As good as french cheese... and full of holes too!
While taking advantage of the holidays to watch a few movies, I came across IMDb's reference to "La Horde", a French movie about "Zumbis" (which I find acceptable, since "zombie" was originally a French word - from Haiti, to be more precise, and refers to a African super-hero that would rise from the dead and free the slaves... but that's another story). Well, the production, acting (superb!) and the CGI are impressive and faultless, but... Here there be spoilers! - who were the guys? - what were they doing there? - they said they were family... brothers? cousins? lovers? - how did the hostage become a zombie? - how could the entire city become a bed of flames in a few minutes? - why would all the zombies in town gather around a specific abandoned building among several abandoned buildings? - how did everybody inside turn into zombies? - why did the women's pregnancy be such a conflict between those guys? - why/how did the guard keep all those heavy guns? in France? - why did the white dudes pick the heavy guns and the black one pick a machete? - why were they trying to get out of a building with a few zombies to get outside to a world under a zombie rampage? - why, oh why!, didn't they spend a few more minutes on the script?
Half a dozen incredible French actors, the same number of clichéd characters (the French brute, the crazed African, the fat drunk and ugly Legionnaire, the bitchy French woman), and a very good movie that, on my opinion, beats several of the same coming out from Hollywoodland.
Some criticize the woman for killing the black criminal once they reached the outside; for me, it was the only thing that made sense in the whole movie: she went there to get him and, after the criminal killed the father of her child, that was the only way out. But didn't she realize the shot would attract the zombies?
Well, it was only a movie. So I give it a 5.
Stargate Universe (2009)
Well... could have been worse!
When I first saw the Pilot, I was expecting the usual SG story; although I loved the movie, I find the shows rather dull and obnoxious (they have Morena Baccarin, though!). But SG.U is a total new ballgame. The pilot grabs the attention from the beginning (who are these people? Why are they on that ship, and why do they look hurt and scared?) and plants the seeds for a cliffhanging show about a ragtag of lost soldiers and civilians, "the wrong people in the wrong place", virtually impossibilitated to return home to Earth. Although the story lines are the usual Sci-Fi lore, and present some of the usual SG.1 characters, it manages to escape the boring stereotypes common on SG.1 and other follow-ups; the scene when Eli first opens the door to Coronel Jack O'Neill and pretends to be someone else, is fantastic, and sets the serious tone of the rest of the show; the following scene, when Eli is told he would be teleported to a spaceship by force if he refused to cooperate, he goes upstairs to call his mother and disappears in a glow of light... classic laughter! And what can I say about the famous Episode 8 "Time"? We all have seen movies and read stories about time loops, but the end caught me unprepared, and proves the writers of this show treat their viewers like intelligent adults, not some dumb teen- agers. Seriously? I think SG.U is what all Stargate shows should have been from the beginning.
Defying Gravity (2009)
Nay nay nay... naysayers!
Warehouse 13 is a awesome show, I found it original, even thrilling... and pretty soon the feel was: WTF?, what a wreck! So, the last thing they must do is shove the Farnsworth up the MacPherson... But "Defying Gravity"... now there a realistic description of what our future amongst the stars might be: long slow trips between the inner planets, by a group of intimate friends who know they must endure 6 years of isolation. Some call it unrealistic. Really? Maybe they should have superpowers (Heroes), or fall 40000 feet into an island (Lost), use warp drives (Star Trek), or go about unstressed along hospital corridors talking about banalities while saving people without effort (I am a doctor, I know a hospital is NOT like that!)... realistic enough to you? To call DG unrealistic is to not know what reality is: a long painful journey into the unknown. And this show proves it, and keeps me glued to the screen every week. I want to see it to the very end, and then a second season!
Aljubarrota (2008)
Nice little piece
This composition was made to be presented to visitors of the "Centro de Interpretação da Batalha de Aljubarrota" (Center for Interpretation of the Battle of Aljubarrota). It is part of a multimedia presentation. The CIBA sits on the place of the famous battle of Portugal (and England) against Castile (and France), which was part of the Hundred Year War and also a battle between supporters of different Popes (as well as a battle for the succession to the throne of Portugal). Nice quality, unimpressive CGI, median representations, but it was good for a multimedia presentation. Although the Battle, who marks the beginning of the Second Dinasty (that created The Portuguese Century, when Portugal became the most powerful nation in the world, discovering everything from Brazil to Japan) and also the beginning of the modern world, deserves a major production movie by a great studio. (Peter Jackson, are you listening?)