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| FACING
WINDOWS
(Ferzan Ozpetek, 2003, Italy) |
 |
The
movie is far from being the best of the year,
and it’s also forgettable. But it succeeds
as being one of the few romantic movies of
these last few years that’s not cloying
or cheesy. |
|
|
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| FAHRENHEIT
9/11
(Michael Moore, 2004, USA) |
 |
I
still think that Moore is somehow manipulative.
But I'm still feeling the same way: it's always
pleasant to find someone who thinks like you
and dares to say that to the whole world.
|
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|
 |
| FINDING
NEVERLAND
(Marc Forster, 2004, UK, USA) |
 |
Finding
Neverland is just a little harmless movie
that lacks about everything. It needed more
imagination and compromise, and less emotion
and correctness. The movie is so ordinary,
it’s hard to love it or even hate it.
|
|
|
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| FIVE
OBSTRUCTIONS (Lars von
Trier, Jorgen Leth, 2003, Denmark) |
|
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| GARDEN
STATE
(Zach Braff, 2004, USA) |
 |
Garden
State is a warm melancholic little comedy
that has some bright moments but it tries
too hard to be cool and quirk and deep at
the same time. It succeeds when it’s
funny, but when it tries to be serious it
becomes pretentious and, therefore, laughable.
|
|
|
|
| GOODBYE,
LENIN!
(Wolfgang Becker, 2003, Germany) |
 |
An
emotive and original dramedy that has some
worrying similarities with a Julio Cortazar's
short story called La Salud de los Enfermos. |
|
|
|
HARRY
POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (Alfonso
Cuaron, 2003, USA)
More superior
than the first one. A really pleasant surprise.
|
|
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| HERO
(Zhang
Yimou, 2002, China) |
 |
Hero
is a really complicated movie to review. Its
political ambiguity has divided opinions complaining
that this film was fascist. Both sides offer
correct and wrong points of view, so it’s
actually unfair to judge this movie by its
politics, because it is rather ambiguous.
Just watch it as a beautiful work of art filled
with breathtaking imageries. It’s not
easy to review this film, this is the third
time I’ve changed this paragraph and
I believe it won't be the last. |
|
|
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| HOTEL
RWANDA
(Terry George, 2004, UK, South Africa) |
 |
It
is a really necessary and powerful film that
works mainly because of its subject. If Hotel
Rwanda accomplishes to move us, it’s
because we know those atrocities actually
happened, rather than the movie itself. |
|
|
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| HOUSE
OF FLYING DAGGERS
(Zhang Yimou, 2002, China) |
 |
No,
it’s not better than Hero.
Hero is wrong, politically speaking,
but HoFD doesn’t achieve the
breathtaking imagery that the first film offered.
And it’s even shallower because the
love story is not very believable and exaggeratedly
passionate. And I know there are no rules
in love, but I find it really hard to fall
in love with someone who betrays you and thinks
you’re inferior. Still, it’s more
beautiful and interesting than any other conventional
film has offered this year. |
|
|
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| I'M
NOT SCARED (Gabriele Salvatores,
2003, Italy) |
|
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| THE
INCREDIBLES
(Brad Bird, 2004, USA) |
 |
Not
only the animation is impeccable and outstanding,
but also, it seems that Pixar is the only
one in Hollywood who can produce good and
entertaining family films. The James Bond
franchise and Spider Man should learn from
them because they can make thrilling action
sequences with likable characters. |
|
|
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| INTERMISSION
(John Crowley, 2003, Ireland) |
 |
Unlikable
characters may work at some movies, but not
this one. So, if you don’t care about
them, it’s really hard to care about
the whole thing. Besides, it’s getting
tiresome to keep watching some Pulp Fiction
wannabes. |
|
|
|
| I,
ROBOT (Alex Proyas, 2004,
USA) |
|
|
| JU-ON:
THE GRUDGE
(Takashi Shimizu, 2003, Japan) |
 |
Horror
films (like comedies) are really subjective
and what I may find scary someone may find
it silly. But it's really hard to find The
Grudge creepy or frightening when it starts
to get repetitive and doesn't make much sense. |
|
|
|
| KILL
BILL VOL. 2
(Quentin Tarantino, 2004, USA) |
 |
More
entertaining and interesting than the first
one. Still, I think there was no need to make
two films; even more, I think there were around
two necessary scenes in the first installment.
Uma Thurman is excellent, again and thanks
to her The Bride has become an iconic character. |
|
|
|
| KINSEY
(Bill Condon, 2004, USA) |
 |
Kinsey
may just be another forgettable biography
but, somehow, it came in the perfect moment
to bring us its liberal and mature thoughts
in this worrying and prudish world. But instead
of making a totally erotic and sexual movie,
Bill Condon decided to hurt them in their
sore points: conventionalism and Oscar bait. |
|
|
|
| LAST
LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
(Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2003, Thailand) |
 |
A
love story on drugs? A Chill-Out cinematic
experience? A movie or a dream? Whatever…
Last Life in the Universe works,
mainly, because it gives an atmospheric feeling
like no other film can. |
|
|
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| LOVE
ME IF YOU DARE
(Yann Samuell, 2003, France) |
 |
The
movie mixes sweetness with perversion, charisma
with selfishness and love with cruelty and
those mixtures are the main reason why I still
have some mixed feelings. |
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