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Reviews
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Possibly the best surreal fantasy ever
This film has the most paranoid, psychedelic story I've seen in ages. Its surrealism makes Monty Python (or even Bunuel) look like the most reasonable of all people. It is said that BJM is a metaphore about our urge to become someone else. I don't know about that, but it is surely a film that takes you to a trip you never want to end; and after making a series of small masterpieces in music videos, Jonze makes surely the most spectacular feature debut of the year (along with Sam Mendes, of course). Oh, yes, and the most original "menage a trois" (or "a quatre"?)one could ever hope for.
Festen (1998)
Amazing film,one of the best screenplays of the last few years
A dark and deeply moving story of family corruption and a painful redemption,Festen is a film full of memorable scenes;the horrified look of the older sister when she discovers the discriminating note,the brave attitude of her African-American boyfriend,the hero's dreamlike vision of his dead sister;and above all,in my opinion,the truly shocking scene where his mother publicly humiliates him (with her story of the imaginary friend)in order to protect the so-called family honor, a scene that leaves you frozen. And despite the much-hyped Dogme direction, this film's most amazing aspect is the excellent screenplay, reminiscent of an ancient Greek tragedy, which would have been equally thrilling as a stage play or a novel. In summary, this one is a true future classic.
Braveheart (1995)
Unbelievably overestimated
For all honesty, I cannot understand why everyone is so excited about this one. I mean, as far as Middle Age movies go, Excalibur, the Name of the Rose, or even Dragonheart (not to mention Monty Python and the Holy Grail, ha, ha) are far better than this one. Sure, it has some pretty good battle scenes, Mel Gibson's directing and acting is impressively better than expected, but otherwise it's just another story about a Middle Age hero, no better than all those movies and TV series about Robin Hood or William Tell that we watched when we were children. To come to a conclusion, of all the big Oscar winners of the past decade, this is surely the least interesting.
Psycho (1960)
Great performances, direction, score, a worthy classic
I watched this one last night for a third time. As always with Hitchcock's movies, this one looks better with every time. What more can I say that hasn't already been said? The direction is amazing (and very much ahead of its time), Bernard Herman's score is possibly the best piece of music written for a motion picture, a true work of art(and it's a pity there is not a soundtrack album out) and of course Perkins' performance is totally out of this world. And forget about the famous (and too much copied) shower scene, or the detective's murder; the most horrifying scene is the one at the end where Norman Bates sits alone, thinking his mother's thoughts, and then gives to the camera THAT look- it has me scared sh**less every time I see it. A true masterpiece.
Ola einai dromos (1998)
The third story makes it all worth...
Three stories taking place in North Greece. So, OK, the first two are admittedly a bit weak, but they are strongly helped by strong performances by two truly great actors; in the first one, Dimitris Katalifos makes you feel the deep sorrow of the father who has lost his only son, and the scene at the village cafe is truly powerful; and in the second one, Thanasis Vegos (perhaps the all-time greatest Greek comedian, who in his old age has also shown a great capacity in dramatic roles), delivers another fine performance, emphasized by the shocking ending.
And then comes the third story...
Giorgos Armenis is abandoned by his wife, who takes their children with her. Overcome in the deepest degree with pain and sorrow, he goes to the cheap nightclub-brothel where he was a regular customer and there he goes to the extremes... Rarely has a Greek filmaker expressed such powerful emotions as Pantelis Voulgaris in this one. And rarely has a Greek actor given such an unbelievable performance as G. Armenis. Every look of his face, every word that comes out of his mouth makes the heart grieve and the eyes fill with tears. This one is a great experience not to be missed.