bibo-93638 Reviews

Years and Years (2019)

Life and its endless myriad of emotions on screen

[9/10 · 28 July 2019]

...I just finished the series, and I am still not sure what to write. So I am going to speak in metaphors and as briefly as possible (wishful thinking): so Life eventually gives what it has to give and takes away what it has to, for a reason we would never eventually comprehend or digest...the only problem is that you end up caring about what you are watching in front of you so much, just like you care about your own family, that you eventually start confusing reality and fiction, today's politics and tomorrow's, the world today and the world after years and years...endless possibilities and occasions..a mix of laughter, passion, warmth, drama and a pinch of nostalgia..you will feel every single emotion while you are watching, and once the last episode would have ended, you will sit motionless staring at the credits and wondering about yourself, the people around you, the crisis and chaos surrounding you..and you will probably realize that somehow all what is happening could be...or actually is your fault. This will be just a thought..and the whole realization would eventually disappear few hours later and you would go back to doing and behaving like you did before watching anyway..but the journey was eventually worth your time..and it is now stuck inside a part of your brain that you might decide to revisit some day..some year in the future... I can't stress enough that this is a MUST SEE. so just go ahead and watch and judge by yourself.

Killing Eve (2018–2022)

a TV show that is finally truly about human Nature and instinct..

[9/10 · 9 June 2019]

This is not a show you have seen before. It might seem like it but trust me: it is not. It is not really about the good guys, nor about the bad ones. It is simply human (which is far more complex than one might think). Human with the flaws, weaknesses, hidden desires, rage and despair that comes with it: a naked and brutally honest mix-up of everything: the conflicting feelings about doing what is right (ie Eve), the instinct and urge of doing something bad just to feel something (ie Vilanelle) and the vicious circle of boredom and desperate attempts to stay active. It is a show that intentionally wants to be blurry and foggy so that you won't possibly know what is coming next..and isn't it what being human is after all? not knowing what is waiting for you behind the corner, but continuously acting and pretending that you do?

First Man (2018)

Another la la land, in space, on earth and in between

[9/10 · 21 October 2018]

"First man" is a feast for the eyes, the ears and the senses. It is a love story between man and space, man and the moon, man and grief, man and other humans, and man and earth. A continuous dance and twirls between trials and errors, incidents, accidents, false alarms and right ones. Go and watch it for the thrills, the sensations, the music, the directing, the sound editing and the subtle performances.. a "ride out of this world' in the true sense of the word.

Loveless (2017)

Truly Memorable...Lingering images and words.

[9/10 · 11 February 2018]

The arresting image of a child, screaming voiceless, behind the door of a bathroom, without anyone noticing. The hatred and sharp accusations of the parents at each other and at the world. A divorce in process. Broken beings, hurting and getting hurt. Each one of them, alone, even when with a partner, desperately clinging to the promise of a better life. A promise that sounds more like the echo of a dream that might never materialize. This is a movie about a loveless love, so sharp and so powerful that it is threatening to rip everything and everyone to pieces. A real gem from the great and unique director of "Elena" and "The Banishment" that I don't want to spoil for you, but that every single moviegoer should see and experience. 9/10.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Good Intentions and Special Effects are never enough... Keep Away

[3/10 · 14 May 2017]

Dear Director Richie, I had high expectations for your movie, King Arthur, following your Sherlock Home movies, which were quite impressive in terms of script, acting, and style. However, half through the movie, I did regret my rather naive decision to defy "critics and friends" by actually going to see a movie that most ppl seem to be calling "the First Summer flop". In order to make sure I have covered everything, I will be relying on bullet points and a rather "traditional approach" using pros and cons. So here it goes.

A. Why it doesn't work:

a. Special effects used in your Sherlock Holmes movies (which relies on observation, deduction etc..) were applied to King Arthur..Needless to say that that wasn't really a good idea as you can clearly notice that the story genre and scope does not fit with that kind of effects (ie especially in "fast fwding" specific actions that need not be fast forwarded in the first place) b. The Music...it simply doesn't work (mostly for the same argument used for the special effects) c. The script...truly a disaster, predictable, flat to the point that one can easily feel that the characters are not convinced of what they are saying. d. Character Development: Completely absent..No character background, Progress..what does the protagonist want and what does he plan to achieve ? In other words, it is very difficult to care about any of the characters on screen, which I believe is a key issue in any movie. e. The story: Good Vs evil, build a tower to get more powerful (tower of babel maybe ??), and fighting all the creatures you ever thought of...Just one piece of advice: Please watch the original "excalibur" movie, and you would understand any viewer's frustration. f. Too much emphasis on the sword (even though it is only an object after all, and we can't really interact with it as viewers) without any explanation over how it resurfaced (it was supposedly under deep water...) g. Overlong with nothing New happening from one scene to the next (except for armies confronting each other and people flying and hitting walls at some point..)

B. Why it works (still trying to find some positive aspects...) Well..it doesn't work at all...the cast is well chosen (Law, Hunnam..no comment for the choice of beckham) and there are good intentions over all to make the movie look "modern" while still being "ancient" and "bombastic" while still looking "medieval" and colorless. But when combining all these elements together, you end up with strictly nothing but a fiasco of independent elements that fail to make a whole.

Briefly speaking: Stay away, Keep away..even on DVD. I am sure every viewer is able to find a better use of the 2 hours running time (feels like a decade though..)

It's Only the End of the World (2016)

I do not agree with...

[9/10 · 27 January 2017]

Most of the critics did not like this movie. Their argument was that it had a great and promising cast, but that the combination didn't add up to much..a disappointment they said. Well, I do not agree at all. And after having seen "Mommy" I was convinced that the director couldn't have spoiled things going forward..if anything, he was even getting better. This is one of those movies that whispers something to you without you even knowing. A whisper about a dysfunctional family, wrong timing, memories trapped halfway between your throat and your mouth..Words left unsaid, and meanwhile, everyone eats, everyone smokes, lunch and dessert..white wine Not red. Old Home and the new.. An airport, a cup of coffee and a magazine. A song, a dance while the protagonist is standing outside looking inside himself while everyone is looking at him and staring, wondering why is he here and trying to read what he hasn't even written yet..They are all wondering whether he has the right to show up just like that after 12 years away from them. But isn't he the writer after all, the one with the burden..and the one with the choice? Should he or should he not? say something.. and why can't he leave just like he entered ...without disturbing the order of things. If only there was someone in the crowd who is able to understand his whisper, his slow gestures and his silent scream that keeps reverberating inside..and time strikes again and again. someone lifts him up under a gigantic blue sky. "Let's go for a drive". A drive down memory lane, a drive inside a family's heart, mind and soul. A highly emotional and daring movie, tensed, real, so real that it will take your breath away more than once. Highly recommended for its authenticity, great cast, pace, music, cinematography and the well deserved Jury Prize in Cannes 2016.

La La Land (2016)

Not for everyone. Great musical score. A movie with movement and a beating heart

[9/10 · 5 January 2017]

Not a movie for everyone that is for sure. However, having already seen Whisplash" I had a very good feeling about that movie, not to mention that the entire cast was already promising. But the direction is what I was mostly looking for. And as it turned out: this is yet another masterpiece at least for the distinguished crowd and the ppl who are looking for something light but meaningful, romantic but real to the core. Actually the first scene is more than enough and is a great "opening" that is as impressive as the many other visual scenes that would follow. And between all the music, the swift and sophisticated moves, the tap dancing, the colors, the smiles and the stages, you end up noticing the moments of silence, the moments of truth..this tiny instant between two records, or notes when everything seems to be some kind of a distant vision, a "trip" to a future that could have been but that won't necessarily happen..One vision out of many others, one possibility out of a multitude; Never going with one perspective but covering all of them..Hers, His..and theirs together. Definitely a must see for the experience of seeing something unique for once, cheesy at times, but a different kind of cheesy nonetheless, albeit the good and refined kind.

The OA (2016–2019)

A show big in ambition and worth every second of your time.

[9/10 · 1 January 2017]

Every single show has its "own" flaws. Some of them go un-noticed, others are too "obvious" and might "disrupt" your own journey with the series. Let us admit it after all: The reason why we watch these series is for us to go on a "dive" kind of trip and ending up following the current, no matter how strong it turned out to be, and how many "rocks" you might end up bumping into, as long as the "swim" is worth it..worth your time, your attention span, and the missed opportunities of maybe watching something else. Whether you choose to accept or not, the OA is a dive in itself, a universal one to say the least. I have personally compared it to "the arrival" movie of Villeneuve in the sense where you end up dealing with a multi-layered story with a very heated "core". The layer is something and what it carries is entirely something else. I don't want to spoil anything for you, and I am not denying that "the OA" has its own story gaps, but the pace is great, the acting is outstanding and I would even watch the last episode many times over and over again because of the message it carries: how to heal yourself and others, and how to deal with "dangers" lurking from the outside world..and the answer is simple in its own way. Highly recommended.

Moana (I) (2016)

A journey of discovery unlike any other

[9/10 · 22 December 2016]

After "Frozen", comes a "summer-like" Disney movie that is unlike any other animated movie you have seen. From the "extremely" real sensation and color of the water, to the uplifting songs and breath-taking animation, the movie is a real ocean ride that never loses steam. Multi-layered throughout as it deals with concepts of "community", "roots", "exploration" and "faulty-parental guidance" Even the characters sound real given an exceptionally smart script that makes you forget at some point that you are watching an animation, thanks to a fast paced and meticulous plot that has more than one surprise embedded in it. Truly a must see in every sense of the word.

Lion (2016)

A movie with a soul of its own

[9/10 · 15 December 2016]

To put it in simple words, "Lion" is a journey that grabs you entirely ; whether you want it or not, you are a part of each and every scene. Exactly like the hero, you find yourself having visions of a past that you think you have forgotten, you long for something more and you dig for something deeper. This is a journey back home, filled with emotions, hard decisions, and an infinite willingness to reach somewhere safe.. Simple story, dream like sequences and real characters that are aware that "there are no white pages" but that in a way, there is always a black ink somewhere that you can use to finish the endless books that you have in your head. A gem and must see. Highly recommended for the cast's performances, the musical score and the emotional layer that refuses to let you go even after the movie had ended.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Not your traditional sci-fi..but definitely worth your time (minor spoilers)

[10/10 · 26 November 2016]

This is not your regular science fiction movie, that is for sure. aliens are coming in 12 locations, nations are scared, alarmed and eager to know the "purpose of these beings" while being highly skeptical of "destructive motives" which is more or less an instinctive reaction to something that we don't understand. And then, in a very smooth and unexpected transition, comes the notion of language, time, how they are related and how we interpret things and act based on our perceptions, motives, understanding etc..We are usually used to look at the "shape of things" or at "first layers" and this is exactly what the movie is telling us not to. Aliens, foreigners, "different beings" is only the first layer of a very complex and humane message (that I do not want to spoil for you). This is a movie for people who dig for layers, enjoy cult-like imagery, and do not mind thinking about the movie and its message long after the final credits. Highly recommended, great performance for Amy adamsvand another great success for the director of "Sicario".