tonio_r2 Reviews

Vanilla Sky (2001)

What a pity...

[4/10 · 20 February 2002]

I'm part of the viewers who watched "Abre los ojos" before "Vanilla sky", so I couldn't help making a comparison between both.

Amenabar's film was brilliant, psychologically dark and convincing, and genuinely original.

This one ... well, I was outraged at seeing what Crowe and Cruise had made : apart from the allusions to Manet, rock music and the French "Nouvelle Vague", all the good ideas (and even some dialogues) were copied from the initial movie, without any imagination !

Worse : in contrary to the first film, this remake was silly, from beginning to end, certainly because Cruise was less interested in the movie itself than in his "image" as a golden boy, whose private life is deprived of any interest for me (sorry for his fans).

As a result, actors never find the "right tone" (except from Penelop Cruz, who was all the same better in Abre los ojos), and there is no suspense or anguish any more - only some silly humor.

To all the people who found this movie intelligent and original, please first watch "Abre los ojos" !

The Others (2001)

Sad and beautiful, clever and sober

[9/10 · 18 February 2002]

Is this movie really an horror film ? Obviously yes, as it is often chilling, and full of very classical elements from very classical horror films (ghosts, frightened children, haunted house lost in mist...)

But it is much more sober, less silly (and bloody) than most of the so-called "horror movies" - perhaps because, actually, it's a genuine psychological drama, at the same time striking, beautiful, sorrowful, with unforgettable atmosphere and plot. For that reason it may recall more "Rebecca" than "Shining" (another fantastic familial drama)

No spoiling here, I'd only like to say that the surprises of the script are much less artificial and sheerly mechanical as in most movies with "coups de théâtre", because they finally give a totally different approach to the psychology and the attitudes of the characters.

Eventually, I recommend this beautiful movie to all the people who enjoy suspenseful films, with surprising, clever plots and some genuine human depth ... and with, as only special effects, Kidman's anguished face, whose beautiful expressivity here is simply unforgettable !

Shame (1968)

Impressive

[9/10 · 28 January 2002]

I watched this movie on a big screen a few months ago. I didn't know what to expect precisely, and for the first ten minutes I feared I might not enjoy this film. It was beginning very slowly, in silence and almost banality, which was all the less exciting as the sound was quite bad and the subtitles sometimes impossible to read.

But I definitely do not regret to have gone on watching it. It is one of the most beautiful Bergman movies I've ever seen, at the same time human, ruthless and psychologically so convincing.

Seldom have I seen actors play so wonderfully, with such an intensity on their faces : Liv Ullman's interpretation is unforgettable and Sydow is excellent too.

There is always psychological violence in Bergman movies, and this one may be the most physically violent of them all. The strained relationships between the man and the woman evolve in parallel with the physical violence that is surrounding them...

Finally, this sober, violent and powerful film contains a surprisingly striking human depth. An excellent Bergman.