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Reviews
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun (2021)
A presumptuous piece of junk
Probably the worst movie in a long time. Visually beautiful, amazing sets, great music, A-class actors. What is missing is cinema!
It is sad to see how low a director can go. Pathetic...
Vientos de agua (2006)
My father's story
Campanella's masterpiece, a great story, which happens to have a lot in common with my father's, who left Asturias in 1925 to avoid the draft and landed in Argentina. My dad also lived in a Jewish neighborhood in Buenos Aires, where I was born later. Just like Andres, he was an Anarchist who became a Peronist, as did most of his union friends. And he was fortunate to return to Asturias before his death. He kept a lot of secrets about his life, something I respect. The life of emigrants is faithfully described in this saga. Interlaced with some of the most relevant events in Spain and Argentina during the twentieth century. Great cast, wonderful music, a must see...
Where to Invade Next (2015)
A shameful pamphlet for Hillary, at best
Michael Moore has produced some really good stuff (Columbine, F911), with the usual load of left-wing propaganda, sometimes excessive, but often within acceptable limits. This time, after a 6-year long drought, he rushed to generate this collection of proposals based on policies that he seems to discover in his travels. Most proposals are good: universal health care, free college tuition, healthy school menus, paid maternity leave, etc. When in Italy (13th monthly salary or bonus, 1-month paid vacation every year) he claims that this was the result of a history of workers' struggle. The fact is those "conquests" were promulgated by Mussolini 90 years ago. Paid maternity leave was instituted by Hitler and other right-wing dictators (Franco, Oliveira Salazar, Pavelic), as well as by all the socialist rulers in Scandinavia. Moore wants us to believe that the Berlin wall was torn down by common people armed with chisels, when everybody knows that it happened because of the collapse of the GDR, thanks to the actions of "little guys" such as Reagan, Jaruzelski, John Paul II, Gorbachov... In Norway Moore celebrates the light 21-year jail sentence imposed on Anders Breivik for his massacres, he even suggest that this monster may be free after 10 years in prison! It seems to Moore that the only purpose of American prisons is to control its African-American population. All of the above seems enough to repudiate his "documentary", but the last 20 minutes or so show what I think is the real intent of this pamphlet, as he seems to find that most calamities and fraud happen when males are in power. He discovers wisdom in Iceland's female bankers and politicians, ignoring the damage inflicted by ladies like Margaret Thatcher, Dilma Rousseff and Cristina Kirchner. I don't think that is is by chance that this grotesque has gone public right before the 2016 presidential election...
La vida es silbar (1998)
Boring, silly, a total waste of time
I had great hopes for this movie, which I rented after reading other comments, and also based on my previous experience with some excellent Cuban movies. This one turned out to be the worst, with no substance, poor dialog, and an incredible lack of action. Passion is shown as something evil, to be avoided by all means. The scenes of fainting people everywhere are beyond the limits of stupidity. Some of the characters are beyond fantasy, as is the recurrent idea of coincidence against all odds. Having met friends who recently came from Havana, it is clear that the director avoided showing the miserable state of that city. It is hard to believe that this awful creation received any award ever. The only reason I give it a 3 out of 10 is out of respect for most of the main actors, who were pitifully wasted.
The Contender (2000)
A despicable show of nazifeminism, or maybe worse
This is a simplistic, unAmerican film, one of the worst I've seen in many years. Some very good acting by Joan Allen (the only thing that can be saved from this nightmare), Sam Elliot and Gary Oldman, and maybe the worst performance by Jeff Bridges. Some characters (Rep. Webster, Special Agent Willomina) are simply abominable. The whole situation is so ridiculous, that one wonders what kind of feverish imagination would place somebody as wildly liberal, disloyal, contradictory, and confused as Senator Laine Hanson in such a high position. I loved Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911". It was straight and honest, concise and well taken. "The Contender" is exactly the opposite in all respects. I give it a 3 / 10 out of respect for Joan Allen.
Bar, El Chino (2003)
A quasi-documentary view of the Argentine drama
Bar "El Chino" proves that good movies can be made with very limited resources. The main plot line, based on two characters (Jorge and Martina) is beautifully mixed with two other lines, the documentary on a legendary bar in Buenos Aires' Southern district of Pompeya, and the 2001 collapse of a fake democracy. Jorge (Boy Olmi) and Martina (Jimena Latorre) are two generations apart. He represents the eternal need to return to one's roots. She exhibits an exuberant mix of hope, love and ambition. Olmi and Latorre offer a memorable performance, worth of a sequel (maybe Robert Duvall will read these lines?) Most of the characters are real "porteños", and the way they express their true feelings is really touching. Editing and camera are good. The film music could be better, but it shows strength and authenticity. A must-see for those who try to understand Buenos Aires, its people and the nature of tango.
Io speriamo che me la cavo (1992)
A must-see movie for all teachers!
A perfect film, probably the best description of a difficult teacher-student interaction in a destitute neighborhood. Intense, sincere, shocking, never a dull moment. Paolo Villaggio is inimitable as the Professor who comes from Northern Italy to a village of Southern Italy with all the ideals of a dedicated teacher, as he finds himself immersed in the poverty and crime stricken city of Corzano. And the kids! these little rascals are just amazing. In my opinion, this is the best movie ever made by Lina Wertmuller, far from her past naive left-wing production. It would be nice that IMDb show its alternate title 'Ciao, Professore' as an option: it took me a while to figure out that the movie I had watched was the same as "Io speriamo che me la cavo".
Impostor (2001)
good sci-fi
Impostor is a well-crafted, action-filled, sci-fi movie. The chase is captivating, the ending superb. Special effects are good. As with every one of Philip Dick's stories, I would recommend it only to sci-fi fans. It is a pity that this movie had some bad press. It may have some dark moments, but looking at our current administration's skills and intentions, it may turn out to be optimistic!