teo-sun Reviews

RoboCop (2014)

Ho-hum reboot...

[5/10 · 13 February 2014]

First thing first: i'm a huge fan of the original Robocop. It was one of the most significant, critical and powerful action movie of the eighties, so maybe because of that i'm very critical at this reboot but here's my opinion... The "new" Robocop lacks almost everything that the original delivered. It's like a "superhero" reboot (Robocop now is more similar to Iron Man than the original, slow, robotic Peter Weller),it lacks the inner struggle that Weller delivered in the Paul Verhoeven flick. The new protagonist Joel Kinnaman appears uninspired,he does the job but that's all: there's no energy in his role, there's no struggle, there's no Robocop... The "evil guy" in the movie is ridiculous, the Clarence Boddicker of the original could eat him alive... At the end i'm not satisfied with this reboot. Maybe the director wanted to make a movie that could criticize the USA politic of war but the only good message in the movie is the performance of a good Gary Oldman, that's all. Not too much, after all... 5/10

The Avengers (2012)

A Masterpiece for every comics fan in the world...

[10/10 · 2 May 2012]

First thing first: "The Avengers" is a masterpiece. Period. It's not easy to put together the most famous Marvel superheroes (apart from Spidey, of course!)in a single movie with a good plot, very good characters development (good & evil), and make a great movie like this one. The story develops around the "Avengers" project, an idea by Nick Fury (director of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and the superhero-billionaire Tony Stark alias Iron Man. A group of Super-persons at service of mankind (something like the X-Men..). The villain here is Loki, returned from the end of the other great movie from Marvel Studios "Thor", eager to take control of the earth using the powers of the Tesseract, the same powerful alien artifact seen in "Captain America". There is a connection with other Marvel movies, in fact to really appreciate the movie you should see the other two movies at least, but it's not a priority of course. The result is a movie full of wonderful action sequences, smart dialogs, excellent character development and an open finale for another, possible, great adventure (don't worry, no spoilers here, just wait the end of the first part of the credits at the end of the movie..). A pleasant surprise, a wonderful movie for every comic fan around the world, and for the ones that hates this kind of movie: just see this film and you'll be amazed. Trust me. 10/10 Teo from Italy

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

The real dark of a soul lies beneath the surface.

[9/10 · 26 November 2010]

This is the first movie that shows the art of direction of an ex-blockbuster actor like Ben Affleck, and, i must say, i'm really impressed. Based on another stunning novel by American author Dennis Lehane, "Gone Baby Gone" is a cold,sad,moving and unpredictable masterpiece in his genre. Affleck stars his brother Casey in the role of a young private investigator chasing the kidnappers of a little girl, daughter of a drug addict. The movie unfold slowly on the dark side. The cast is perfect and the direction of Ben can show us the multiple faces of Boston, of his people, with the voice of Casey that explain us, like a guide to tourists, how people lives, how people struggle in his neighborhood, without hope, without color, in a twilight-zone existence, and the truth is far from easy... A movie that rise from the others of his genre because has the ability to move different ideas, deep thoughts in the finale. It's not easy to direct a movie like that, it's not easy to use a topic so delicate yet so dark like kidnappings, but here Affleck shows that he can truly amaze us, so that we can breathe the real atmosphere of a plastic reality where the real life, the real problems, the real dark lies beneath our smiling faces.

Go see it if you haven't yet. This is a must see. My word. A+++

Robin Hood (2010)

A mature, innovative, realistic Robin Hood, finally!

[9/10 · 23 May 2010]

I really don't understand the critics. I really don't understand people screaming for a new script, invoking new ideas in today movie making, then criticize a movie like this because "it's not like the Robin Hood we grew up with...".... WHAT??? I mean, there're critics, very good critics, that accused this movie to be NOT a Robin Hood film because Robin doesn't wear green tights, a green hat, maybe with a red feather on the top, and because he doesn't run in the woods hand to hand with Marrion...aww, 'cmon! Why you must be so difficult? So "nerdy"?? And why, i ask, if someone, if a director, tries to make his own vision, a new restyling of the genre, or maybe, of a character, why he must be crucified by the critics? Look at Guy Ritchie, for example. He reinvented Sherlock Holmes. He succeeded, and the movie was a hit: new, fresh, smart. So why we must criticize this new "vision", or version, of Robin Hood?? I'm pretty sure that if Scott had the traditional vision of Robin Hood (see above), the critics would've criticized him because of his traditional vision of the main character, of the legend. Oh, and by the way, yes, the "unloading troops boats" in the movie existed, really, and yes King Richard was killed attempting a siege to an enemy castle, and, please, stop comparing this movie with others movie (Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan because of the D-Day like scene...stop it!). I enjoyed the movie, and i think it's worth a sequel of it. The direction of Scott was very good, and the photography of the great Scalia even better. Go watch this movie if you like a different vision of directors that doesn't stick with the old clichè of the "man in green tights", hoping for a sequel. It's a very good and intense movie.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

Better than i expected!

[7/10 · 23 September 2009]

C'mon u guys! What do you pretend from a classic popcorn movie? I don't understand all the sour critics, to this movie, like any other popcorn-style blockbuster from Hollywood. Yes: style. And by the way, G.I.Joe has some style, maybe old fashioned style, but still style is, no? For the fact that the movie is inspired by a bunch of toy soldiers from Hasbro,so what? The Transformers are the same, and same KABOOOM fun.

What else can i say, or what else do you expect from a movie like this? An Academy Award?? Go see g.i.joe if u want some good action stuff, good effects and good rhythm. If u're lookin' for a kolossal War & Peace style, just stay away and spare us with boring,sterile critics about realism, or performing,OR grab your cola and popcorn and enjoy the action.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

Poetry moving backwards...

[10/10 · 14 February 2009]

I really don't understand all the critics attacking this gem of modern cinematography accusing this movie to be too abstract, too unusual, too unrealistic to be intense, moving, beautiful. Who said that cinema is all about telling true stories, about true events or true characters? We have emotions inside, and, as humans, we need to have our emotions, our feelings, touched by a movie that sometimes makes us think about things greater than us, like life, like all the tiny passing moments of pure joy, like the people we love, like the people we loose during a lifetime. This, and much, much more is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". There is so much stuff, so much content beneath the surface of this wonderful adult tale.

The direction of David Fincher is absolutely amazing. We've got already a demonstration of his talents with perfect movies like "Fight Club", or his underrated vision of "Alien 3", the research of perfection, the colors always gray-shaded, the perfect photography of the scenes. This movie is no exceptions: it's perfect. All the scenes in all the sceneries (from old New Orleans, to Russia, passing through a moving set in the ocean).

The special effects are incredible: u can't tell where there's CGI here and where there's only an incredible makeup work to transform Brad Pitt in an old man then in a teenager, or the makeup work on Cate Blanchett (acting beautifully in her role).

The movie is long, yes, but it's about 3 hours of poetry, an hymn to life and to people we love,and about the short, but intense,pure moment of life. All moving backwards, like the clock at the train station at the beginning of the movie. Poetry moving backwards.

All this magic is decorated with a beautiful soundtrack performed by Alexandre Desplat.

In conclusion, "Benjamin Button" wants to tell us a story: a story about life seen with the eyes of a man aging backwards, of an almost impossible love, and a story about the endless, infinite, cycle of life.

It's impossible to not appreciate such ambitious, yet strange movie. It's impossible to remain cold at the end of this intense, magic voyage through time. It's a movie everybody must see, because everybody must see life through the eyes of Benjamin Butt once...at least...

10/10

Iron Man (2008)

A Masterpiece in the Cine-Comics genre

[10/10 · 23 May 2008]

Amazing! This is the right word for this movie. I'm a fan of the Marvel Comics, but i've never read the Iron Man comics, and i must admit that this movie grabs the real spirit of these splendid comics and lets you fly high with the man in the iron armor! I could compare this movie with the Spiderman trilogy, especially the second,that in my advise, was the best of the series.

The actors are quite well integrated in the plot. Robert Downey JR is perfect in the role of Tony Stark, great performances also from the others.

The special effects are great,and the action sequences are quite well realized.

In conclusion, another great movie in the superhero universe.

Please, make more movie like this!

Speed Racer (2008)

It's like watching a Micromachines movie,with Dick Tracy style,and The Flinstones...

[2/10 · 23 May 2008]

OK, so the Wachowski's are back and this should be another great movie like the unforgettable Matrix? no,no,no... "The Matrix" was a turning point in the action genre,with an incredibly effective plot and spectacular action sequences, then the second movie of the series was an improvement on the first in terms of special effects quality but poor on the plot (same old story), i prefer not to comment the third movie (Matrix: Revolutions) that, in my personal point of view, was a total c**p... "V for Vendetta" was a booooooring film, nothing compared to other superhero movies, and so it came this "Speed Racer"....uhmmm... Well, the movie is well crafted, with originality in the photography. Stop. That's all. The story is abysmal that also a kid could invent playing with his toy cars. The whole look of the movie is ridiculous with acid-pop colors and an absurd family (never watched the original anime, fortunately..). The special effects in the races are so phony that it's like watching a bad-looking Playstation game, and the cars behave like they're Micromachines with acid colors. Bad special effects do the rest. And what's the point with the fat boy and the monkey??? Should they be funny? Ah, OK, it's the FUNNY MOMENT of the movie, sure.. In fact there's a scene where the fat boy and the monkey steals candies from a candy machine on an airplane and then they fall asleep!!HHOHOHOH...so funny...and it's not over: after that the fat boy and the monkey steal a little car in the Evil Manager Fabric and they run everywhere..HAHAHAHAHA...oh God, isn't funny???.....please.... It's like a total parody, the actors are good, but sometimes there're scenes so stupid,that almost made me angry (the absurdity of the races and the fat boy and the monkey overall...). I dunno...this is a masterpiece from the Wachowsky? No. You're a fan of the original anime series? You may like this mess. You're a little boy that goes frenzy with the race games on the Playstation? You may like it, and maybe you could think that the fat boy and the monkey are really funny...

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Incredible finale for an incredible saga!!!

[10/10 · 5 June 2007]

In this third installment Verbinski surpassed itself with an outstanding, colorful, exiting movie! Here we encounter all the characters we've met before in the 2 previous movies, and all of them have an important part in the solution of the great conflict between pirates/england forces/Davy Jones. The result is a truly enjoyable movie that delivers almost 3 hours of pure entertainment without a single slow moment. The acting is perfect, Johnny Depp the best as always as Captain Jack Sparrow, but also outstanding the performance of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, returned from the land of the dead to aid the pirate cause, bravo to Orlando Bloom, and here we have a better performance by Keira Knightley. The photography, the sound, the incredible music by a great Hans Zimmer, everything creates that kind of "swashbuckler magic" that only these movies have delivered in the Hollywood story so far. What else can I say? You MUST join this incredible trip to the End of the World and return!!! 10/10

Miami Vice (2006)

Solid, realistic and well directed!

[7/10 · 18 October 2006]

You can see Michael Mann's signature in this one, just like "Heat" and the great "Collateral". This movie has almost nothing to do with the 80's TV series apart from the protagonists and the background. What we have here is a solid, well directed and very realistic cop movie. Don't expect a fast-paced flick like "Die Hard" or something like that 'cause "Miami Vice" is like a "stealth" movie in the world of cartels and drug dealers, with only few moments of action, but a very realistic action, nothing like the "super tricks" 007 style! The acting is very good, the photography is fantastic, adding that particular touch that only a great director like Mann is capable to put in a movie. The soundtrack, also, is great, with a lot of tracks from Audioslave that add that strange mood to the movie.

In the end "Miami Vice" is a great movie. Go see it absolutely if you're a Mann's fan or if you liked "Collateral"; if you've never seen the other two movies from that director go see it anyway: you won't be disappointed!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Spectacular movie! A great sea-tale, a great sequel.

[10/10 · 22 September 2006]

I don't understand all the negative comments i've read! This movie is AWESOME! If you liked the first movie "the Curse of the Black Pearl" you'll definitely enjoy this spectacular sequel; if you haven't seen yet the first movie DO NOT WATCH this second! You'll understand nothing about the story of Jack Sparrow and the other characters. The acting is perfect, especially Johnny Depp is simply great acting in the role of the pirate Jack Sparrow. He's already one icon, a perfect character developed by himself, and he's truly great! The special effects are huge as always, and i liked the octopus-beard of Davy Jones and the sea-damned crew. The music, the pace of the movie and the story developed over the first movie, these are all pieces of the same machine that make "Pirates of the Caribbean" a marvelous saga for everyone. Remember that this is the second chapter of a trilogy, a trilogy filled with pirate magic, a trilogy that will become famous as the "Lord of the rings" trilogy. Those who don't appreciate this "piratesque" thrill-ride don't understand the magic of those wonderful movies. Period.

The Trouble with Terkel (2004)

That was crazy and fun!

[7/10 · 26 April 2006]

Being an Italian i've never heard about Terkel and all the others crazy characters. I've seen the movie 'cause i like twisted computer graphic movies, and i can say i've laughed a lot! Terkel end his friends are funny, the cartoon is like a mix of nasty moments inspired by great and famous series like "The Simpsons" or "South Park". The plot was a little dumb, but with a touch of mystery! But who cares about the plot when you can see funny moments a LOT of dirty language (just hear the old sailor, the uncle of Terkel... or his friend Jason, always walking around with a crowbar in his jeans...). This is a fresh and funny movie, ABSOLUTELY NOT for children!

Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)

Fun, Fun, Fuuuun!!! :D

[10/10 · 26 April 2006]

This is truly one of the best computer graphic movie! It's funny, VERY funny! The gags here are even better than the ones in the first Shrek! All the characters are very well developed and in this second chapter, since we're all supposed to already know Diego, Manny and Sid, the movie tends to be more funny, focusing on the incredible situations of the incoming meltdown, and the great escape from the tsunami. We'll find again the prehistoric squirrel Scrat, that is now the copy of the famous Wile E. Coyote! You'll laugh your jaw off here, 'cause if the Coyote was funny trying to catch the Road Runner, Scrat is even more funny trying to grab his food!!! And he's going to be a real hero in this second episode...!! In conclusion this is a great movie, not only for children. Good time, good laughs! What else? :)

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

Boring, lame, not funny... I haven't laughed for a second... Avoid it!

[1/10 · 22 April 2006]

I've seen this flick 'cause i've read an enthusiastic review on the "Rolling Stone" magazine where this movie was considered a cult movie in his genre, and the review ended with this phrase:"Enter the magical world of Napoleon Dynamite!". So i rent the DVD... oh, God!!! This movie is simply AWFUL! It's a story about a loser named Napoleon that lives in Idaho, and his alienated friends like Pedro. All his friends are like him: jerks that never laugh, and probably you'll finish to hate them all 'cause they're NOT AT ALL FUNNY!!! Napoleon above all the others!!! Come on! Bart Simpson is fun! Not a stupid jerk that doesn't have a social life! There's nothing funny about that. The plot doesn't exists. Napoleon tries to catch a girl for the school's ball, Pedro tries to candidate to be the School's President. All the characters are flat as a piece of paper, there aren't ANY funny moments in the movie. Scary Movie is funny! American Pie is funny! This movie is so lame that even i could have shot it with my friends and the results would be a masterpiece! And this is a wannabe-cult movie for our generation??? Oh my...!! Last warning: this is rubbish. If you wanna have a good laughing time go rent American Pie, THAT'S a MASTERPIECE!!!

Fight Club (1999)

This is your life and it's ending one minute at time. A MASTERPIECE!

[10/10 · 22 April 2006]

This is an incredible movie. I've seen "fight club" when it was released in 1999; stunned by that movie i read the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, and i've discovered an incredible writer too. It's too complicated to describe a movie like this. It's a crude, realistic, nihilistic vision of our lives, our crisis, our world filled with clichés, with media that tell you how you must be, how you must act, how you must live. It's not only a fighting movie at all. It's about deconstructions, about pain, about the use of a struggle to feel human again. The acting from Edward Norton and Brad Pitt are great here. Both seems to dive like a fish in their roles, and the character of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) is simply flawless. From beginning to the end the movie caught you in an alienated, but incredibly real web of a twisted mind, struggling for freedom, raging against everything. I can't tell anything more 'cause i'll ruin the atmosphere of the flick... The novel it's great too (like all others works by Chuck). The movie is almost identical to the book, apart for the end. In conclusion i consider "Fight Club" one of the deepest, darkest and twisting movie of the decade. It's a masterpiece and you must see it at least once, and if you think i must have my head examined, well, you've totally missed the point!!! You wont be disappointed, i can assure you that!!! 10/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Harrr...This flick delivered shivers down my salty spine!!!

[10/10 · 9 March 2006]

Ahoi there!!! "Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl" is one of the most funny, exiting, action-filled, spectacular masterpiece of this genre! One thing over all: Johnny Depp! He is simply fantastic acting as the pirate Jack Sparrow. I consider him one of the best actors of all times because he is always perfect in almost every role (thanks to Tim Burton that discovered him!). Jack Sparrow is incredible, funny and strange, the perfect buccaneer for a movie like that. Good performance from Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley too. The photography, the sets, are perfect, and you can feel all the "salty" feeling of the Caribbeans in the whole movie. The story is good: a good mix of adventure and mystery, filled with action, explosions, and naval battles. The extra contents on the DVD shows how they have bought to life all that magic! The soundtrack is epic and it fit perfectly in the movie, thanks to Klaus Badelt, a real artist. In conclusion, this is an adventure masterpiece, incredibly entertaining for everyone who have a little pirate-child inside! HARRR..... where's my bottle of rum???

The Crow (1994)

Dark, Gothic, violent, beautiful...

[10/10 · 8 March 2006]

The taste of revenge, the dark corners, the black everywhere, the night, and a crow that fly, seeking revenge, seeking death for the murderers of a girl and a boy. "The Crow" is a masterpiece. A sad, dark and violent fable of revenge and death bought by a black bird that, sometimes, takes back to life the victims of brutal murderer so they can have they holy revenge. The movie is a little different from the original graphic novel written by James O.Barr. The novel is beautiful and my advice is to read it as soon as you can if you loved the movie. This film also remind the tragic death of Brandon Lee. Brandon was incredible acting as "the Crow". The other two movies are simply awful and cannot bring to life the spirit within the original, incredible, novel. This is an angry movie on the side of the victims. Not politically correct, not religious, but simply a movie about revenge, and it's something like a poem about love and death. I loved it. Wonderful.

Crash (I) (2004)

One of the best movies i've seen...

[10/10 · 8 March 2006]

I saw this movie last night after the Oscar Ceremony. I've seen the ceremony live on TV here in Ialy and i was eager to see the "Best Movie of the Year". Well, "Crash" is surprisingly good, a masterpiece about human feelings, and we all know how human feelings are ignored in these days. There's a good and an evil side in every one of us and sometimes it's necessary to "crash" into something to see who we really are. The cast is great, there's not a leading role in anyone of the actors, but everyone does his job in a perfect way. In the movie we can see different people, living different lives, and then they'll come "crash" together in a melting pot of situations, guilty and redemption, racism and love, but in the end everyone must fight his own demons.

In conclusion, this is really a great movie, everyone must see that and enjoy this rare example of fine cinematography.