pi4630 Reviews

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Lights and shadows

[7/10 · 30 December 2016]

I consider rating movies starting from the topmost vote, i.e. 10, and then detracting for each weak spot/issue I think to discover. This movie is a 7/10 and here are the weak spots:

1: CGI - I don't think it was necessary to have Takin and Leia fully featured close to real actors - holographic transmissions could have done better if they didn't want to rewrite the story. The point is, while it looks good, it isn't convincing at all! I think all of this because they 2: desperately want seamless story integration: this is neither feasible, it seems, nor it does make any sense: why do you have to put figures in it that we know already and are not taking any part in this story? Just to "recall" that we're in the Star Wars universe? What's the reason to briefly show the two criminals from the Mos Eisley cantina or R2D2 together with C3PO? Why does the movie end there right where episode IV/I takes off? If there wouldn't be this pressure, a lot of wrong issues could have been avoided: a CGI Leia, a insanely mad Vader (at the beginning of ep IV/I his mood is then different), the story about the death-star plans (did they examined the dialogue between Vader and Leia in the beginning of ep IV/I precisely before writing/shooting Rogue One)? 3: Music ... incredibly, there's no Williams music expect for the ending. Which could have been a good thing IF the music was inspiring and compelling... it isn't. The sad thing: I noticed it somewhere in the first third. It sounds like a disinterested music score, not really amplifying what's going on screen.. as if it was written for another cut of the same movie.

The plus point go to the actors, to the action sequences, to the story (expect for the above aspects) and to photographic shooting. Some shots are astounding.

However, it's Star Wars. I won't watch this one a second time, but will wait for the blu-ray release.

Mondays in the Sun (2002)

Excellent

[10/10 · 31 May 2007]

Two movies, one topic. I have watched "The pursuit of happiness" first and "Los lunes al sol" (http://www.IMDb.com/title/tt0319769/) a couple of days later. Both movies have the same rating on IMDb.com and this is frankly not the case. "The pursuit of happiness" is a remix of the "one in a million" idea: one guy against all odds, facing the worst situation, makes it. I know this is a true story, but the story of *just one* who "makes it" (which can be compared to a lottery win - because how *many* people are out there trying?) may lead to the illusion that - as long as you "want" - you *can* make it. Sort of "hang on" movie. "Los lunes al sol" instead shows you what happens to the rest - to the non - Chris Gardeners of this world and is much more realistic. The fact that "The pursuit of happiness" was nominated for an Oscar confirms that we are encouraged to watch movies which consider the fate of one, not of manys. Absurd. "Los lunes al sol" is a must see.

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

The "one in a million" dream will never end

[1/10 · 31 May 2007]

Two movies, one topic. I have watched "The pursuit of happiness" first and "Los lunes al sol" (http://www.IMDb.com/title/tt0319769/) a couple of days later. Both movies have the same rating on IMDb.com and this is frankly not the case. "The pursuit of happiness" is a remix of the "one in a million" idea: one guy against all odds, facing the worst situation, makes it. I know this is a true story, but the story of *just one* who "makes it" (which can be compared to a lottery win - because how *many* people are out there trying?) may lead to the illusion that - as long as you "want" - you *can* make it. Sort of "hang on" movie. "Los lunes al sol" instead shows you what happens to the rest - to the non - Chris Gardeners of this world and is much more realistic. The fact that "The pursuit of happiness" was nominated for an Oscar confirms that we are encouraged to watch movies which consider the fate of one, not of manys. Absurd.

Star Trek: Enterprise (2001–2005)

A great Trek story

[10/10 · 14 February 2007]

I read a little about the history of Star Trek and wonder every time about the strange relation between cult status and commercial success. TOS was not a commercial hit back when it was aired. However, after decades, it reached that cult-status that led Hollywood to produce the movie series first, and TNG later. It would be nice to see a pattern, a cycle (or anti-cycle if you wish), in such Trek developments (not to forget about Voyager and DS9 of course) and maybe there is one: at the apex of amount of series, commercial flop once again seemed to have hit Trek universe. Oddly, I still encounter numerous fans of TNG and VOY today (less DS9 ones, but I always thought that one was not so bad at all).

I was not that much Trek fan at all to understand that a new, prequel series was on its way back in 2000/2001. My first "contact" with Archer and the crew of NX-01 was somewhere in 2003 or 2004, when a friend of mine was watching an episode on his laptop during some lab exercise at university. I saw Scott Bakula and my prejudice was there, pronto: "What? Quantum Leap is the captain of an Enterprise? Forget!". Now I don't have the slightest antipathy to Mr Bakula: I think he was great in Quantum Leap and I always tried to catch the show on TV. But to see him being captain on that ship, where I already had seen Kirk and Picard (I learned to appreciate Picard only a few years ago), two men of so different, but so shaped character, made my opinion be clear: no way this was going to work. And then: a prequel! Please, no more, after I saw what Lucas did to his fantastic space opera! Why was Hollywood always trying to follow tendencies... even if they were proved to be flops from a content point of view? I decided to skip this Trek travel and turned my interest elsewhere. After some more years I learned that ENT was dead just after four seasons, because of commercial flop. I took notice and I thought I was right from the beginning.

Last New Year's Eve, the Italian channel LA7 aired a "special Trek night", showing an episode from TOS, the movie "Generations" and finally the pilot (episode one and two) from ENT. I knew the first two that good, that I skipped them from time to time (helping with dinner preparations), but I watched the pilot in full. It was not enough to make me crazy about, but I was getting curious. I recalled from 2003/2004, that I found the blue outfit ridiculous in a way. And I couldn't understand why they had used a song theme instead of the classic, instrumental Trek theme, of course adapted in some way. So I got the DVDs and started watching...

I am almost at the end of ENT's season one and I wish I to put in words precisely what determined my change of mind. Let's start right from the beginning: the title score. Simply magnificent. I particularly like the scene where Alan Shepard is smiling ironically at the camera (I would like to know when that one was taken) and it stands, for me, as a symbol for all that sacrifices made by countless women and men since generations in air- and spacecraft: very often paying with their own lives. Then, Robert Goddad, as he is writing some formula on a blackboard. Chuck Yaeger and Amelia Earhart. The complete short title sequence perfectly grasps the endeavors made by mankind to unfold the unknown. As to the series: I found the pilot's plot not particularly overwhelming, but the subsequent episodes are intriguing. Besides the episode character of the series, I now like the prequel character and can't get enough to learn how they dealt with first beam transportation, phasers and the necessity of having some sort of "protocol" when leaving the ship, encountering new races etc. This is real dedication to details from the writers/producers! The ship is also more fragile than any other Enterprise we saw, it does not have the defense mechanisms we have on TNG. And then we have the not so easy relationship with the Vulcans and I must admit Mr Bakula does a masterpiece of interpretation when he plays the bullheaded captain, who slowly but constantly transforms into a responsible and open minded captain. Jolene Blalock is the most stunning female Vulcan I have ever seen. Her presence adds a certain eroticism and mystery to the show I have never experienced before in any other Trek show. Sure, there may be some continuity errors, some more evident than others. But we're all human after all, and I am not measuring ENT against TNG and TOS: I just want new stories from the Enterprise and her crew!

As you probably already have understood, today I ask myself why this show has been canceled after just four seasons (if I recall well, TOS was also canceled after four seasons or so). Again, commercial success is the measure of everything. But now, if take myself as unit of measurement and ask myself why did I contribute to let this fail, I feel that there are many, complex reasons. But, evidently, I needed time to appreciate. Time to pull my prejudices down. Time, to remember the "Trek that was" (I watched the movies again and the entire TNG seasons in the meantime) and that is gone for good. Today, if there was a petition to bring ENT back, I would sign it immediately.

Since time is my so recurrent reason for ENT being "my" flop, when it was aired, I wonder if Hollywood should not apply more flexible time spans when it measures commercial success. To the cast and crew of ENT, I wish you to come back either as series or as movie.

10/10

Match Point (2005)

Remake

[5/10 · 29 August 2006]

I am a huge Allen fan and own many of his movies and almost saw all of his movies (that's quite a lot!). Among them, there is the excellent 1989 movie "Crimes and Misdemeanors", starring a wonderful Martin Landau and Angelica Houston.

A user has written that "Allen discovers new terrain" with Matchpoint. Well, in which sense? Matchpoint has the same moral content and the basic plot is identical to the above 1989 movie.

Do not get me wrong: No one more than Allen deserves (also) commercial success for his movies, something that did not quite happened since the mid 80ies. But I think if you like this one, it's probably because the cast corresponds to what 20ies now recognize to be "actors". So do not laud this and ignore other, much more important gems from this brilliant genius.

The Core (2003)

This is dumb

[1/10 · 18 October 2003]

Sorry, but this movie is just Hollywood fast food. The typical plot: six heroes have to save the world. Just like in Armaggeddon, this is done with much pathos and stereotype... except that, instead of going into space, they go "into earth". I guess that's what they call an "altenative" plot in Hollywood.

I could think of every next "action"... I was so bored by 2/3 of the movie, that I stopped watching it.

Please stop making these movies. They just do *stink*!

Ma che colpa abbiamo noi (2003)

The fault is Verdone's.

[5/10 · 30 July 2003]

I wonder why Verdone persists in doing direction and acting together. I've seen many movies by him and by now I get the impression that the subjects he's dealing with are repetitive. Verdone should find a different approach rather than the "dramatic/comical" one otherwise he will only repeat endlessly. Another thing I absolutely don't understand... why do Italian directors continue to insert completely unknown foreign actors or, better, actresses (sic!) like Raquel Sueiro in this case?? Verdone speaks of "debut", but honestly, what kind of debut is this`? Dramatic, deep, scenic, psychologic or just "body debut", since Sueiro's part is that of being "the sexy woman"... Honestly Carlo: Why do you follow in the footsteps of those "Vacanze 200x"... movies?

5 out of 10. Buy and the others save a lot!

Gosford Park (2001)

I felt asleep.

[1/10 · 26 May 2003]

Now, I'm not "easy" on doing harsh critics. But someone should me explain the "hype" around this movie, around "this" Robert Altman. I *wanted* to watch this movie, as I was eager to see something new from Altman, but I'm not the kind of spectator who sits down there and "ahh, but this is an Altman", while asking and wondering what the heck this movie is about! It's okay, it's from Altman, but even Altman can be sense- and meaningless.

I felt really *catapulted* into this movie from the beginning. For the next 50 minutes, nothing is really explained, or at least, you have to puzzle the explanations "who is who" and "what are they doing there" by yourself, from the dialogue of the characters. I felt like being projected into a "basar"; the only way to understand was to catch up dialogue between dozens of characters for the next hour... Well, at one hour twenty, when the murder happened, I felt asleep.

Will someone *please* tell Hollywood that a good movie is not necessarily a "good" name behind the camera?

Horrible.

Un ragazzo e una ragazza (1984)

Very good Italian movie

[8/10 · 26 May 2003]

This is the proof that good Italian movies exist. The story is solid, the cast is a real fortune (Calà would never repeat such act of balance between "reality comedy") and Marina Suma was a real revelation. I recall watching this movie, when it came out; I never have heared of Suma, but her acting in this movie is brilliant.

I like the story about a big Italian town (Milano), about a "man" (Calà) and a "woman" (Suma), depicting the cultural "differences" between North and South Italy and their struggle for being happy.

The soundtrack does the rest. Welcome to Italia.

Blast from the Past (1999)

They must be kidding.

[1/10 · 25 May 2003]

I felt asleep watching this movie, right when Walken and Spacek finished their turn, the shelter was opened and their son (Brendan Fraser) came out.

I must admit, I don't like Brendan Fraser's acting style. Every time he's just... "Brendan Fraser"... Silverstone was no help here, okay, she's "nice", but then? It seems to me that some ideas used in this movie come from "Back to the future" and it sequels... I do not see the necessity to say "if there was an oscar for such movies"... but then I see the av. vote to be almost 7 and wonder...

This one is awful. 1 of 10

8 Women (2002)

8 women : 1 boring movie

[1/10 · 10 April 2003]

I expected very much from this movie, as I have seen recent French movies contributing in the development of what could be a very good alternative to the much too commercial Hollywood products, i.e. the rediscover of the European movie.

Instead, I got a weak and cheap copycat of an Agatha Christie narrative ("Ten little Indians") with some really bad made musical intermezzo. Neiter the better known Bèart or Deneuve were able to save this movie. Nor does the score.

The plot is indeed not existing. You just follow revelations after revelations, from reasonable to absurd, just to get "that Christie touch". However, the end is funny and somewhat symbolic: Those 8 women are not bearable.

Awful.

Event Horizon (1997)

Waste of time

[6/10 · 5 November 2002]

I don't know what happened here. Despite a strong cast, the story or better this movie goes nowhere. I was "glued" to the screen in order to see when this movie would "take off", but nothing happened. Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill making me sleep, wow, I wonder why they ever accepted such a script. Now, I *am* a scifi fan of the genre, but please do stop making movies that haven't a good story behind. A movie is not made only of effects, but also of dialogues, structure and psychology. This one looks like having shred tons of scifi movies and pasted "something new" together. Forget this one.

Un posto al sole (1996– )

Naples... what it isn't like.

[13 September 2002]

I lived in Naples for seven years and believe me got to know what life in Naples is like, when you belong somewhere in the low/middle society. Although I watch this soap frequently (almost every day), I can't identify anything of what I experienced in Naples - but some usage of the dialect here and there. The "story" could take place everywhere else. I guess since producers and or directors wanted to offer something anybody could identify with, a lot of local sets, realities and circumstances are not shown. This is not Naples, so you may watch it as "off-the-shelf" soap.

Knock-Out Cop (1978)

Pure entertainment.

[10/10 · 9 September 2002]

Even if you like Bud Spencer movies, then "Piedone l'africano" and "Piedone in Egitto" will be a revelation: Bud, this fist-fighting bear, can also act, if the script and the director will leave him to. Seriously: Both movies contain *plot* and are not shot for the mere fist fighting scenes that make Bud Spencer so popular. They contain also a very intriguing score. Watch it, it's a must!

The Legend of 1900 (1998)

Nice, but not great.

[7/10 · 30 July 2002]

After having won the Oscar for "Cinema Paradiso", a movie I enjoy very much, watching this one gives me the impression that Tornatore is pulling everything up to repeat that experience. Although the story is original and the score is more than well done, this movie lacks of "small" other things. The set sometimes looks fake, like for e.g. when at the beginning the ship is approaching New York, passing close to the statue of liberty. The main actors are not convincing, Pruitt Taylor Vince fits physically as Max, but there are many scenes, where he looks like he'd burst out laughing, although dealing with dramatic issues. Tim Roth, I'm sorry to say this, didn't convince me. At certain points, for e.g. the scene where he does fall in love with the passenger was completely unbelievable in my eyes, not for the story, but for acting. There are also some goofs (I consider the appearance of a black man around 1920s on a Luxus ship being so nice treated and heartly welcome in a first class area like in the movie somehow not being realistic).

7 out of 10.

Goldfinger (1964)

This is Bond.

[10/10 · 9 July 2002]

I've watched all Bond movies with all Bond interpreters more than once. "Goldfinger" represents every aspect at its best: story, actors (an incredible Gerd Fröbe next to Connery which simply "is" Bond) and locations.

Although there are other Bond movies, which almost reach the same level, this one is unique. A must have in your collection.

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Can men and women be friends?

[10/10 · 18 March 2002]

Well, don't pretend to get this question answered. This is - luckily - no serious psychological analysis, this movie is still fresh and full of life after all these years. If there is one big moral behind it, then it is "don't think about it" and "let things come by themselves". I love this movie, it never gets boring and it has it place in my collection. It is a story about life and the turnarounds love sometimes does... before it goes back. Particularly I like the interviews to the couples during the movie, which makes us understand that... there is no "wrong" or "right" in relationships. Very good soundtrack, too!