Reviews
John Wick (2014)
John Wick Review
A man's dog is killed. So he goes out and kill 1000 men and get a new dog. That is about it. The movie is so bad, that it's a stereotype of a movie. The acting is non existing, the dialogues low and the music loud. Reeves is a great gymnast, but no actor. Defoe has expired and Nyqvist can't even fake a russian accent. This is more like a homage to video games and American V8 engines than a story. Unfortunately it netted more than 100 million dollars, I see, which explain why they will probably never give up throwing these things out in new versions for as long as the market can stomach them. I am sorry I watched it, will be more careful next time, promise.
The Bookshop (2017)
A movie to fall in love with
Not first of all because of the story and aesthetics of books, but because it is a beautiful story about human relations. The acting is superb, the scenes serene. This is a film like films should be, it take its time. There are few good people in the world, most are busy with their own interests. The movie show that with very simple means and excellent dialogues. Some will say it's slow, they will say it's boring. I guess that is the way with all taste.
Grace of Monaco (2014)
Let's mess up history then, shall we?
The bad thing about messing up history and making a movie about a real person that is not based on facts but fiction is that we tend to remember the movie. So, now thousands of people will believe that Kelly saved Monaco (de Gaulle never went to any ball, the situation was negotiated peacefully with France at the end). They will believe that the marriage with the prince did not include numerous extramarital affairs on both sides and they will believe that Grace was as tall and elegant as Nicole Kidman, the perfect princess. Too bad, because reality was good enough. The movie is beautiful, superbly esthetic, but that is all.
Easy Rider (1969)
A strange mix
If you take out Henry Fonda, the music and the bikes, you are basically left with a weird movie, much like an acid trip. The movie is also basically about the glory of drugs and explains why drug use became a major problem in the US: it was a major part of american youth culture in the cities and even among students in the 60s and 70s. The quality of the filming is so low it's amazing it was ever released. The directing seems like its done by a child, or someone on drugs (which is probably closer to the truth). The dialogs are below primitive, amateurish. The relationships are infantile and shallow. The music + bikes explains why it became such a cult movie. But all that really does not make it anything close to a great movie, not even with Henry Fonda.
Pride and Glory (2008)
Fantastic filming, but film cutting could have been better
The music is the low volume trademark from Mann's "Heat" supplied with slow motion footage . It's powerful. The filming is most excellent, but I am annoyed with the cutting, too abrupt in many cases. The line of actors is not only superb, but Colin Farrell is a far better bad guy than in any of his hero roles. Edward Norton is one of my favorites and here he mixes the soft personality with his hard side. Very few American actors can do that. The film is action and the plot powerful as it represents a history of similar cases of corruption within the police.