Sigmund Reviews

Bokeh (I) (2017)

It really touched me. Not for everyone. Just for a few.

[8/10 · 23 May 2024]

It is beyond me how void one has to be to find this movie "boring". The doom these two persons face is so bone chilling, worse than any post apocalyptic movie I have seen (a lot). The question here is not HOW to survive but IF you want to survive at all. I still wonder if in that situation I would resist weeks or months before killing myself with monoxide. The existential weight of Bokeh is so ponderous that those who can't perceive it should really reconsider themselves as cinema experts.

Yes, the movie is slow and silent, because that is exactly how it would be if things would go that way, if THAT would actually happen.

A Quiet Place (2018)

Pretty good, haters gonna hate as always

[7/10 · 26 January 2024]

The subject is not entirely orginal but still quite new, The film is nicely made. It should have just lasted a bit more with some added variations, and maybe some character external from the family.

Hyperrational xickheads are whining about plotholes but they are full of xhit. People just do what they do and maybe do stupid things, they react as they can and do what thy feel like doing, there is no apocalypse handbook to stick to. You can't rate this one any less than 6, unless you act like a brat who needs to make his point or wet his bed.

Of course she gets pregnant, why not just kill yourself otherwise?

Femme Fatale (2002)

Nothingness recorded on tape...

[3/10 · 24 August 2005]

This may well be the worst movie I have ever seen. The only reason why I don't gave it 1 is because of the classy erotic starting scene (by the way, the whole sequence is painfully long and boring) and the fact that I prefer not to be drastic. Images flow and you don't really know if if there is a sense. It really seems like they started shooting with a half finished script... The inconsistencies in the plot are too many for me to waste time mentioning them. When I realized this "masterpiece" was made by an otherwise good director such as De Palma, I almost gasped. But b/s is b/s, prestigious parents don't matter. Just one question: is Banderas' character real, or just part of the foretelling dream? If so, why does he appear even before the dream in the bathtub starts

The Nameless (1999)

Let yourself go, and it will scare you off!

[8/10 · 28 November 2003]

One who did not see the movie may be surprise by all the contrasting comments ranging from "LAME" to "EXCELLENT". But there is a simple answer to this: There are 2 types o movie-goers: those who let themselves go and get involved in the story, and those who stay in a safe shell of rationality and judge from the outside. So, this movie lives on atmosphere and the mood it is able to arouse, and in this it works greatly, it really scares. But to a cold-minded analisys, it reveals flaws in the plot. Anyway, I think that RATIONAL-AT-ALL-COSTS people should simply give up with horror movies: their inner cords just can't be reached... For all the other ones, you should watch this movie, becasue it is a scary movie that really scares, and features excellent acting and direction. The only right criticism regards the ending. I suppose that they could have done better, not necessarily changing WHAT happens, but possibly HOW it is described. But it is still a decent final, and the movie is a well worth experience.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Frankly a bore

[3/10 · 6 October 2001]

Since the first scene I realized that I had made a bad mistake, then I had 2 hours to regret it. Let me start from what is good in this movie: the fighting scenes (even if too prolonged); the gorgeous natural scenery, in particular the forests; NOTHING ELSE! The charaters are bidimensional stereotypes, the plot is weak and not enticing. Maybe this was meant to be a kind of Fairy tale, but I'm an ADULT! My friend was watching it with me, but his chair was too comfortable, so he fell asleep within 30 minutes yawning "are they still craving up the buildings?". My chair was harder so I kept watching, alas!

To be avoided, except for Wu Shu fanatics.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Great settling, but...

[7/10 · 21 December 2000]

REALLY excellent gothic gloomy settling, maybe the best ever seen. It is all OK, except one thing: the plot was clearly too heavy, and they had to cut some corners to get to the end. So a few things are overlooked (Ricci and Depp, for instance, they didn't even speak and they are in love!!) And finally, they couldn't save the movie from being a BIT boring near the end.

Kissed (1996)

Interesting but weak

[5/10 · 19 November 2000]

The concept is interesting, and in general this movie is a good product, but the director works like a puritan. All bloody details are left out of the camera's view, and the acts of necrophilia are hidden by subtle fades to white. It is like making a war movie without showing a wound... you just won't catch the very essence of the thing. Maybe the director was embarassed with the big problem arising from the plot: how can a woman hav sex with a dead man? It is technically difficult. This is why the movie left me quite cold. I saw the TV version, may it has been censored... I hope so at least.

Streets of Fire (1984)

Really bad

[4/10 · 13 August 2000]

This movie would like to imitate "The Warriors" (1979), but there's no way! The problem here is with the script: all characters are uni-dimensional, and all the lines are the most predictable you could imagine: this movie is not old enough to justify such a parade of sentences we already heard hundreds of times. And the story also is predictable, eventually it is terribly boring. Not to mention the totally unlikely and unbelievable plot... Also features a lot of non-acting actors. Walter Hill disappointed me badly.

Death Machine (1994)

Boring

[3/10 · 5 August 2000]

Maybe the subject was good, but put down to a script it fails in pace. Maybe the author was trying to obtain something slow-paced like Alien, but instead of being haunting, this movie turned out just boring. Technically good, anyway, a pity for the lack of tension.

Lake Placid (1999)

A worthless flick.

[3/10 · 5 July 2000]

This was just an unbearable bunch of already-heard, already-known, already-seen things. A lobotomized ape could have written something more original. A real outrage to serious movie goers. Enough said.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Futile exhibition of FX

[6/10 · 7 May 2000]

I know that cinema is no longer to be considered Art, but just Entertainment... Nevertheless, I was disappointed by this movie. The plot was weak and predictable, with so many holes you could spend hours enumerating them (I'll just point one: why the hell the wise Jedi knight takes a kid with him while assaulting the castle????). The characters, even if well acted, were flat. Think about the dark charm of Darth Vader, and compare with this meaningless Darth Maul... he doesn't even speak. Is he kind of an idiot??

Just to cut short, if you are a kid, you might enjoy this movie a bit. If you are a computer animation tech, you will find this VERY interesting. If you are a serious movie goer you will yawn. And lately, if you are a fan of the real STAR WARS movies, you will feel very sad.

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)

Impressive acting by Jovovic and Hoffmann

[8/10 · 22 January 2000]

I do affirm it, the girl is an Actress, and death upon those who think of her as a pin up! She conveys emotions with impressive easiness, she COMMUNICATES. Hoffmann is great as usual. Directing, too, is very good, but everything is nearly flawless in this movie. Maybe they saved some money in the battle scenes, realistic as in Braveheart but not equally sumptuous. But if it was a billion dollars movie, it would have been a Hollywood flick and you might have forgotten the pregnant bergmanian dialogues of Jean with her conscience.

Payback (I) (1999)

What a silly flick...

[5/10 · 15 January 2000]

Well, the movie has good numbers: good acting, good effects, some witty lines and funny situations, but what about the storyline? It could be summarized like this: An idiotic professional robber battles a powerful gang and gets heavily injured, all to get back his miserable 70K dollars! What about this man, in the end? What about his motivation? Is he retarded or masochist?

Patlabor: The Movie (1989)

Lethal BORE...

[1/10 · 23 October 1999]

Here is what happens: the movie starts with 10 mins of nice action scenes; the movie ends with 30 mins of very nice fighting scenes; in between, there are 60 mins of deadly boring static uninterrupted dialogues that will make you wonder what the hell the director wanted to demonstrate with this! I usually appreciate static scenes, but this is way too much!

My suggestion: see the start, then skip forward, then see the end. Or get something else.

Lovest (1997)

Strange movie, but worth

[7/10 · 1 September 1999]

This is all except a comedy. I ask myself how movies are classified... This has to be one of the cheapest movies ever, but it's well acted and directed. The story is enticing: we see an effective portrayal of the contemporary man, who wanders in a wasteland scattered with debris of the values of the past, trying to find a meaning in a void universe. All is dedicated to this purpose, in particular the lifeless world the characters live in. It's the noisy everyday world (and even more noisy), but it results lifeless since the main characters are alone, the noise is never part of their lives. This movie is worth to be seen, definitely.

See No Evil (1971)

What a pity

[7/10 · 27 August 1999]

The movie as good photography (autumnal english countryside), very good acting by Mia Farrow in her favourite role (I mean, the one that best fits her), and some effective suspense. But it had way greater potential, if only the director would have exploited it. Definitely direction is the soft spot here. Moreover, there are some inconsistencies in the plot and the final seems like a shortcut.

Il giocattolo (1979)

The italian 'Taxi Driver'

[8/10 · 21 August 1999]

An excellent dramatic movie featuring the great Nino Manfredi. Indeed, between 'Il giocattolo' (literally 'the toy') and 'Taxi driver' there are big differences, but also one common ground: how a man entrapped in a boring life is fascinated by guns and tries to fight his way out. The italian film is more dramatic and pessimistic. Both are excellent movies. I suppose it is nearly impossible for americans to see this one, anyway, if you ever get a chance...

L'armata Brancaleone (1966)

Surrealistic medieval comedy: a masterpiece

[9/10 · 21 August 1999]

It is difficult to export this movie outside Italy, in particular because much of the amusement lies in the funny language used, a mix of italian dialects and mock middle-age latin. Anyway, it would be yet a good choice for everyone. It may remember Monthy python's 'Holy Grail', as a surrealistic medieval comedy. Only, this is way better. It is no surprise, considering that we have two great authors, a great director, and a group a great actors. And the word 'great' is no exaggeration! If you ever get a chance to see it, don't miss it, because it's unique.

Death of a Tea Master (1989)

A Zen movie

[9/10 · 11 August 1999]

They say its runtime is 89, but the one I saw was much longer. I don't know. Anyway, this is a Zen movie, so you can appreciate it a lot if you can get a Zen attitude. If you wanna live fast and see fast movies, better get something else.

The Battle of Algiers (1966)

Excellent movie

[8/10 · 11 August 1999]

I ask myself why we never see these kind of movies on TV, instead of airing again and again the same old lethal weapons, jurassic parks, and other similar stuff? This is real cinema, this is why it is considered a form of art!

With the metaphysical crudeness of black and white, the dramatical facts of the Algerian rebellion against the French are accounted. The movie has the realistic appearance of a chronicle. And there are tons of intellectual honesty, too. I mean that there are no white hats VS black hats. You can see terrorists troubled as they are about to leave a bomb in a cafe. Policemen who struggle to save an arabian child from being killed by outraged crowd. Most of all, I like the frank words of Colonel Mathieu about the "bad methods" he's using during interrogations... Watch the movie and you will know.

Heavyweights (1995)

Worthless, dumb movie

[2/10 · 8 August 1999]

I'd take very seriously the classification of "children movie", provided the children aren't too smart. This movie is terribly stupid in its main concepts (concepts? what a exaggeration). The plot fits in a nutshell: a bunch of overweight teens demonstrate that fit people are ignorant and psychopathic, and fight back. Depressive. As a movie, every good chance for good comedy is wasted. The supposed sadistic torturer (Ben Stiller, good in his part) is never taken seriously, the story moves on clumsily and without an order. Characters are superficial, the gags were old at the times of the Lumiere brothers... The whole is pathetic. 'nuff said.

Fargo (1996)

Not that good... sorry.

[6/10 · 26 July 1999]

I expected more from Fargo. Shortly said, the brothers wanted to be original, and ended up being too original. I gave it a 6 anyway, because it was yet interesting, in particular for dialogues and characters. There was an eerie atmosphere, too. But the balance between noir and comedy resulted in a tie, with no spectaculars... Of course a movie may have a complex order, but it always needs an order. Here we see scenes that don't have a direction, every one going its own way. It looks like a collection of random shots. As for humor, there are some hilarious lines, but I really mean 'some'.

I understand somebody may appreciate it more than me and give it a 7, but anything above is pure overrating.

In conclusion, if you've heard about Fargo and hope to find that particular humor in it, you'd better see 'The Big Lebowsky'.