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Istoria mias kalpikis liras (1955)
Proof Greek cinema can be groundbreaking.
I'm someone who likes big, CGI-filled action as much as the next fan boy, and rarely ever do I get truly invested in a dramatic film and its characters. I'm not prejudiced against the genre, Ijust demand the film to be above average to impress me. Greek cinema rarely does it for me. I am Greek myself, but Greek cinema has been, especially in recent years, nothing but shallow comedies with brain-dead humor and pretentious films. Granted, there are more than a few exceptions, but that's just the general picture.
Enough rambling on about context,let's start talking about this masterpiece. This movie has an amazing cast. Every actor does a great job because they have so much to work with. The script is a humane story with realistic characters and clever conversations. My favorite Greek film of all time. The story centers around a counterfeit coin and people trying to get rid or using it to obtain something they think will make them happy. I'll leave it at that because the brilliant story is something you should see the film to experience.
Now let me tell you the few issues I have with the film... Actually, no, I can't find ANY. I'm not even joking. This movie is as close to perfect as most films get. Are there a few aspects of the film that are dated? Sure, but not in the bad way because they will literally transport you to Athens in the 1950's and that's definitely not a bad thing. Besides, the movie itself is absolutely TIMELESS. And I think that's the word best describing it: Absolutely TIMELESS. This is a movie you should watch not only if you like Greek cinema, but if you enjoy cinema in general. I won't recommend it to people who enjoy cinematic abominations such as "I Love Karditsa".
Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
Don't listen to the haters...(Mild spoilers only)
I think I belong to the majority of people when I say I absolutely LOVED the first film.And I also enjoyed a huge part of the second one. The perfect balance of humor and violence make the first film absolutely amazing...so is the sequel amazing?
As usual,the sequel is weaker than the original.Is it predictable? Yeah,but so was the first one. I still loved the hell out of it. This film is filled with thrilling action sequences,breath-taking stunts, and hilarious jokes. This is not a film where you require everyone to give an Oscar-worthy performance, so they don't, and you're fine with it. In fact, I would say the performances are just a little bit beyond what you might expect,but they're not super-serious, cause if they were, the film would fall apart along with its silly premise.
Despite being really entertaining, the film is far from perfect. There are some scenes when the movie tries to go a little more serious,or even darker. I wouldn't say it fails,but it definitely doesn't feel like "Kick-Ass". The whole thing with Mindy trying to not to be a superhero is funny at first, less funny later,and by the end of the second act,you're screaming:"PUT THE SUIT ON ALREADY!".
However,you can have a whole lot of fun with "Kick-Ass 2". The movie has some strong humor, some awesome one-liners and some of the best action I've seen all year, and trust me,I gave Man Of Steel a 9.I really recommend this,you should check it out!
Man of Steel (2013)
"Man Of Steel" explained...
Changing the origin and giving it a realistic vibe, re-imagining the characters while doing them justice, seeing finally Superman being able to beat the villains, this is one of the best films of the year,definitely better than "Iron Man 3".
This definitely is a flawed film,no doubt about that.The relationship between Clark and Lois feels extremely forced. And there are parts of the script in which the dialogue feels sloppy. The shaky cam and the (although cool) repetitive action tend to bring this film down.
But the positive aspects overwhelm its flaws. Casting choices are great: from Faora to Man of Steel himself, Henry Cavill, this is the best entry for the franchise since Superman 2. The action scenes are phenomenal, Hans Zimmer outdoes himself once again with the film's score, the CGI/special effects are really awesome. The villain is humanized and fleshed out.
I can't argue the point most "MoS" haters make without spoiling the film so here goes:... At the movie's climax General Zod is about to kill a whole family with his heat vision, Superman holds his head trying to stop him. At that point he is given the opportunity to choose: let the very last remaining Kryptonian die or protect Earth. Snapping Zod's neck was necessary, and let's not forget he didn't have the option of putting him in the Phantom Zone. Also, Superman HAS killed before, both in Superman 2(Zod again)and the comics,multiple times. If he didn't do it,he wouldn't have the determination or courage it takes to be Superman. As for the collateral damage, Superman had to stop someone way stronger than himself as quickly as possible,he really tried to have the fight elsewhere but couldn't.
I could go on supporting it forever, but I can't. So, overall, Man Of Steel is a great way to reboot the franchise and show how much depth Kal-El's character really has. I appreciated Superman but this film made me a huge fan of his. Definite Blu-Ray pick-up!
Oblivion (2013)
Overall a fun time,but some significant flaws
There is a lot of fun to be had with this flick.First off,although it's no surprise,Tom Cruise shows yet another time he can act. That being said, none of the actors do a bad job. They are all decent in their roles,but none of them does a phenomenal job. Now the practical effects and the visuals are stunning. The CGI is great and the whole landscape shots are amazing.
Now let's talk some some of the issues with this film. Some people complained for it having a similar ending/story to another film,which I will not name since this is a spoiler-less review,but you probably know which one I'm talking about. The movie itself is predictable at times,although it does have a number of good twists throughout,which you see coming if you know about the other film.Me having not seen it,I wasn't quite taken out of the movie as some other people apparently had.
This film is not by any means bad,but it's just decent,when,given the concept and the casting,it could have been great.Morgan Freeman was really underused here and I really wanted him to have played a bigger role in this,same goes for other characters.
My biggest issue with the film is the pacing.First it starts off slow,then picks up for some action,then slows down again for big portion of the movie.Although you are kind of interested in what's going on,the pacing really does not help and might even bore you,as it did to me. There is an epic battle and some amazing moments but the character development is lacking and close to non-existent.
So, summing up, Oblivion is a fun time with some friends but not nearly the scientific original epic it presented itself to be. With its amazing visuals and fun action scenes,it's not a movie I regretted seeing but neither would I recommend it.
The Following (2013)
Don't listen to the haters
If you are interested in checking the show out you freely can read all paragraphs besides the third one("I do admit"..."I have heard)."),because it contains a MAJOR spoiler.
So,you're home,surfing through IMDb and run across "The Following",and think to yourself: "Hmm...maybe I'll give it a shot."and then you look at the IMDb reviews,if you have not seen "The Following" you're definitely going to think it sucks...Then if it sucks why have I voted it 9/10?Nevermind me,why does it have a 7.9 rating if it's so bad?
OK people,let's gather up some facts,shall we?I really don't get where all the hatred is coming from,the plot is interesting(sometimes a little over the top and has a fair share of clichés to it),but still pretty decent.The performances by Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy are simply outstanding.The direction and the way the whole thing is set up is pretty unusual and original.
I do admit that the plot hasn't been as good as the very first episodes but it's still pretty interesting,nice-flowing and full of twists.The way ,for example,they directed the scene where Weston was attacked and beaten up was so well-made that it can totally explain why Hardy could not remember Roderick(that's one of the main complaints I have heard).
"The F.B.I. doesn't work this way"...First off, the whole cast and the crew have been spending time with the F.B.I. asking how they would handle various situations.Also Kevin Williamson has spent a lot of time researching that stuff and has a friend IN the F.B.I. who he often called to sort certain things out.Besides,how do YOU know how the F.B.I. works my fellow hater?Are YOU an agent?If so don't you have more important things to do than writing IMDb reviews?
Some shows many people LOVE,which I'm not gonna mention now,have countless cheesy casual scenes,when this show has almost none.So I really don't understand where all the "terrible" writing comes from.What I'm trying to say is check it out for your own and don't trust those reviews that just obliterate it,and besides I found out something pretty interesting which answered my question:"Why does this show have so many bad reviews?"The answer is pretty simple...
Because it's a new show and new shows tend to get a lot of hatred:I'll give you an example:"Game Of Thrones" is now considered to be one of the best TV shows of all time by almost...Everyone!Well...when it first came out IMDb users were submitting some pretty negative reviews...check it out for yourselves go the G.O.T. IMDb link and check out the very first reviews(35th page)where almost every review is below 5/10 stars
In fact if you look out through the 5 first review pages you'll see that about 90% of reviewers have rated it under 5 stars.Now think to yourself what percentage of IMDb users would give today such a negative review to shows such as "The Walking Dead","Sons Of Anarchy","Dexter","Breaking Bad" etc...A very small(close to non-existing percentage) would...