francisco533's Reviews

The Sign of Zorro (1958)

10/10

An exciting adventure from the beginning to the end! Love it.

15 April 2021

An exciting adventure from the beginning to the end! Zorro is one of my favorite shows ever! It's very well written and the swordplay is fantastic. They used real swords because Walt Disney wanted realism into the scenes. Guy Williams is superb as Diego\Zorro and this was the role of his life. All the cast is wonderful, full of chemistry and magic!

All in all , this is great and even today is fantastic. A show (in this case a movie) for all ages!

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The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998)

10/10

Wonderful adaptation. Fun and entertaining. One of my favourites.

30 September 2018

Warning: Spoilers

"The Man in The Iron Mask" it's a movie made with pride, conviction and heart. As a three musketeers' fan I was very pleased to see it in theaters back in 98. I was only 10 and I remember the huge hype around this movie back in those days, specially because of Dicaprio.

I was stunned by the magic of this movie, it's music, it's inspiring story and by the romantic adventure swashbuckler tone . Leonardo Dicaprio does a fine job in dual role and the four musketeers are tremendously very well portrayed by Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu and Gabriel Byrne. I think Byrne emulates D'Artagnan as no one has ever done before.

Anne Parillaud and Judith Godrèche are also very impressive in their roles.

It's a swashbuckler in it's true essence and that is what a musketeers' movie should be. It was shot in France and the gorgeous sets gave the necessary and rigorous feel of the17th century.

I know Alexandre Dumas' works very well and I understand when some people say that is not like the book. In fact this movie is based in a small portion of "Le Vicomte de Bragellone", the last adventure of the musketeers.

In my view it doesn't have to be like the book and I really don't care if it differs if it's stays true to Dumas vision. This movie stays true to Alexandre Dumas. It's about honor, friendship, justice and love.

All in all, it's a great classic and I dare to say that this is the ultimate musketeers' movie. Randall Wallace's epic version of "The Man in The Iron Mask".

10/10.

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Cobra Kai (2018–2025)

10/10

Outstanding series! 10 out of 10

7 May 2018

"Cobra Kai" the new outstanding series, dignifies the original movie concept and manages to please both fans and the youngest public who are exposed for the first time to this universe. It is very well written and interpreted. The actors have solid performances and are completely in the character. It's interesting to see the story from Johnny Lawrence's point of view. William Zabka shines as the anti-hero, one of the goals of this new approach. Ralph Macchio is also great and very true to his character Daniel Larusso. The series also pays homage to Pat Morita in a well deserved way. The social values and teachings of martial arts cross each other once again in this story of friendship and inner struggle. Thankfully the creators chose not to give too much politically correctness. The characters have many layers that give value and interest to their inner growth and journey. I really liked the way they dealt with current issues such as bullying, social exclusion, lack of balance and the search for belonging. The Millenials are very well portrayed in the increasingly youth portayal of the 21st century digital world. I've seen the episodes in a row, like a long-running movie because it catch us right from the first minute and we want to know how it's going to end. I dare to say this show is one of the best series of the year 2018. Highly recommended!

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Queen of Swords (2000–2001)

10/10

Great female Zorro!

11 December 2017

Great show with adventure and swashbuckling stories in the style of Zorro.

"Queen of Swords" is a show for all ages and I think it captures the old swashbuckler style of the great old adventure movies and TV series such as Walt Disney's "Zorro". In a matter of fact, in my opinion, this show is an unofficial extension of the 1998 movie "The Mask of Zorro".

All the actors are great. Tessie Santiago is fantastic as both Tessa and The Queen.

The stories are wonderful with a lot of surprises, good humour and adventure!

This show aired in Portugal in 2001. I was 14 then and loved it. I still love it now.

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A Morgadinha dos Canaviais (1990)

9/10

Wonderful and faithful adaptation of Portuguese author Júlio Dinis' novel

22 November 2016

This is one of my favorite series made in Portugal. It's a faithful adaptation of the Portuguese author Júlio Dinis' novel with the same name. Watching this series is just like reading the book. The lines are almost exactly the same and the story is very accurate with the novel. The cast is excellent and very dynamic. You can easily identify yourself with a character in this series. Júlio Dinis (the author of the novel)uses the dichotomy of the city versus the countryside. These two worlds are so different and there is a constant struggle between the people of this two realities. The series shows that as well. This is an adaptation of a 19th century novel but it deals not only with costumes and traditions of that time period but also with universal values like friendship, honor, courage,injustice and righteousness. These are timeless and even today present in our society. It's interesting to see that. There's a lot of romance. The author is from the romantic period so that reflects the way he writes. The love stories are also very well done with some surprises at the end.

The music is also very catchy, romantic, capturing the soul of what the tone of the story should be.

All in all, this is a very good example of a Portuguese TV production. Wonderful adaptation.

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Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

10/10

Great and wonderful swashbuckler

16 November 2016

"Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" is a great and wonderful swashbuckler. It has all the romantic adventure ingredients of the genre and delivers a cohesive narrative and adds interesting twists to the well known legend.

I grew up watching this version alongside the timeless "The Adventures of Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn. That's also a great movie.

Besides staying true to the time peridod, there's a pleasant modern touch in how characters behave. Alan Rickman is fabulous as the scheming villain Sheriff of Nottingham. His performance is memorable. No one says "I'll cut your heart out with a spoon" as well as Rickman.

Kevin Costner does a fine job as the hero even though he doesn't speak with english accent. That detail doesn't bother me. Costner's portrayal is solid and enjoyable.

Hands down to Morgan Freeman as Azeem. This character is so cool and it's a great addition to the legend. The rest of the cast is also very satisfactory and everyone seems in the right place.

The story, the actors, the costumes, the places, the colors, the music! Everything seems to fit well and the result is a wonderful adventure movie.

Michael Kamen's music is also another strong point and helps the viewers to travel to time the period of the story.

The movie has some good values to pass to young audiences. It deals with friendship, honor, courage, injustice and righteousness.

Great movie, great adventure!

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The Three Musketeers (1993)

10/10

Great swashbuckler. Loved as a kid and still love it now.

23 October 2016

Good swashbuckler for it's entertaining values. This is not the most faithful adaptation but has the right tone of what Dumas' musketeers are suppose to be. This movie is very well done although this is not to be taken seriously. It's pure entertainment. Great costumes, lavishing scenarios and good story.

Besides that there are some decent efforts to keep the 17th century feel, always with a modern touch. That was cool and Porthos was a very good example of that.

Michael Kamen's music is also another remarkable point and adds a lot of emotion to the movie. It also respects the period of the story.

The movie has some good values to pass to young audiences. It deals with friendship, honor, courage, "all for one, one for all", injustice and righteousness.

This was the version I grew up with alongside "The Man in the Iron Mask" (1998) and the 1987 anime version which is also a very good retelling of the classic.

All in all, I love this movie even with it's historical inconsistencies. It's fun and entertaining.

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Zorro, the Avenger (1959)

10/10

Wonderful!

4 September 2016

This movie (tv series compilation) is another great example of the popularity of Disney's Zorro. It follows "The Sign of Zorro" and it's an exciting adventure from the beginning to the end! Zorro is one of my favorite shows ever! This is very well written and the swordplay is fantastic. They used real swords because Walt Disney wanted realism into the scenes. Guy Williams is the best Diego\Zorro ever and this was the role of his life. All the cast is wonderful, full of chemistry and magic!

All in all , this is great and even today is fantastic. A show (in this case a movie) for all ages!

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The Musketeers (2014–2016)

10/10

One of the best versions

8 February 2014

Warning: Spoilers

A great revival of Alexandre Dumas' musketeers. Every episode brings something new which is mixed with the original storyline. It's interesting to see some references from the old movies and cartoons as well. The art production and main photography are very interesting and the 17th century France is undoubtedly captured.

The characters are very well developed and the writers use the well known background to give another story lines about them. Phortos (Howard Charles) is a good example of this. Athos and Aramis are more like we are used to see but there's a much stronger and emotional perspective.Specially with Athos' past and the intense way Tom Burke portrays him. Aramis (Santiago Cabrera) has a new love in this story, Queen Anne (Alexandra Downling) and I'm curious to see how it is going to end.

D'artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) and Constance (Tamla Kari) have a great chemistry. They say more to each other with the eyes than with words.

Villains are very important to a story and this adaptation doesn't fail in that. They are not the stereotyped villains we are used to. Of course Milady de Winter (Maimie McCoy) is an evil character but there's a whole metamorphosis process behind her complexity. Richelieu (Peter Capaldi) is a more down to earth antagonist and as cold and ruthless as Milady can be, he is still the better player. Vadim was another surprise and Jason Flemyng's intense performance makes us surrender to the new addition to Dumas' classic tale.

A great show. Congratulations to all the team involved with this series. BBC at the best.

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Zorro and Son (1983)

7/10

Zorro as we all know with lots of comedy and good writing.

29 August 2013

This is actually a very entertaining show and you've to see it with an open mind.

This isn't a spoof, it's Zorro we all know with lots of comedy and good writing. It's original and fun to watch. The adventure, swordplay, romance, it's all there and with great chemistry between all the players. The main villain, Commandante Paco Pico (Gregory Sierra) steals many scenes and it's fun to watch the different points of view of Zorro and Zorro Jr. regarding methods of fighting for justice.

Yes, it's different from the other versions but that's the point on doing remakes... adding some stuff we haven't seen before. Wish there were more episodes.

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The Karate Kid Part II (1986)

10/10

A good lesson in the art of filmmaking. 10/10

1 July 2012

With all the hype from the first one, expectations were high for "The Karate Kid Part II" but in the end the movie passed the test. It is very well written and the theme structure is perfect, giving the audience not only the ingredients from the first one but some new interesting additions as well, specially regarding Mr. Miyagi's past. The cinematography is beautiful with lavishing landscapes, vibrant colors and splendid frameworks. All of this accompanied by Bill Conti's beautiful music.

Watching it is like having a good lesson in the art of filmmaking. This movie shows how to tell a story, how to develop characters and their motivations, how to compose a scene (just pause at anytime and you'll see a painting).

The actors are really convincing and there's a lot of chemistry between them but that has already been established in the first one.

All in all, a wonderful movie and a sequel that stands as good as the first.

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Zorro (1957–1959)

10/10

Excellent TV series!

18 July 2009

One of the best shows I've seen in television.

Guy Williams is superb as Diego\Zorro and all the cast is wonderful ( Gene Sheldon, Henry Calvin, George L. Lewis, Britt Lommond, Jolene Brand).

One thing that upsets me is when people compare this Zorro to Antonio Banderas' Zorro. It's completely different. Guy Williams is playing Don Diego de la Vega and Antonio Banderas is playing Alejandro Murrieta. Two different characters. This series are very well written and the swordplay is fantastic. They used real swords because Walt Disney wanted realism into the scenes.

After episode 52 - "Amnesty for Zorro" the series goes into a different format. I enjoyed the stories ( specially the one with Diego's uncle, Estevan, played by Cesar Romero).

This is what I think. They should've done another 13 story arc in which Monastario (Britt Lommond) returned and Ana Maria (Jolene Brand) discovered Zorro's identity.

Zorro is one of my favorite shows ever. All in all, this is great and even today is fantastic. A show for all ages!

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The Mask of Zorro (1998)

10/10

A great old-style adventure swashbuckler. 10/10

16 September 2008

"The Mask of Zorro" is a great old-style adventure swashbuckler. This new version takes the hero from his aristocratic origin and it doesn't only returns him to the masses but also links him to an historical figure: Joaquin Murrieta. Alejandro Murrieta (Antonio Banderas) is a poor degenerate, a reflection of the time in wich he lives. Zorro is gone, injustice reigns and the land is under corruption. So, the original Zorro, Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) chooses him to take up the mantle and become champion of the people.

There's a clear influence of Alexandre Dumas in the script that ends up being a plus for the story. The film lives up to the expectations and besides the new cool Zorro and the scheming old fashioned villains, it still presents us the most romantic and intrepid fencing amateur, Elena (Chaterine Zeta-Jones). She proves to be a daring challenge for the new hero but she couldn't resist his charms.

High adventure, paso doble, romance, swords! Adventure lives once again and this movie does it as none as ever done.

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