pita_mariaulrich Reviews

Backlight (2010)

Great Director!finally a Portuguese movie filmed in the USA is ready to compete on an international scale

[7/10 · 28 December 2012]

I am not going to give it a perfect score because unfortunately it reminds me a lot of Crash or Babel or even Magnolia from 1999. I also have to agree with a few reviews that mention the repetitive soundtrack along the movie!!I do think that the director chose to use it in order to provide some "movement/emotion" through the scrip so maybe not using it would change the whole feeling!

It's visually astonishing with thatpart of the States represented.

Not a great acting from none of the actors - even Joaquin D'Almeida didn't have much room for a great performance.

I feel the scenario, soundtrack and script and also the slow motion scenes and flashbacks made the movie!Congrats to Fernando on that but overall, in my opinion it is a bit too dramatic and to easy to guess "what's happening next"! The end was just like...I bet he's gonna die over a bee!...

Not a boring movie at all and a very good attempt for a Portuguese director!!

Like Crazy (2011)

the true reality of love stories

[8/10 · 16 December 2012]

I was checking out the storyline when I just realized this movie was the story of my life...almost! But it surprised me very positively.

I was also married to an American citizen just out of College and had to follow the same process in order to be with him. Truth is, the bureaucratic aspect of it has done exactly the same to my relationship. The movie captures so so well the frustration, the disappointment, the fears of not knowing if you have what it takes to fight "like crazy" for each other;

The moment in the movie when she calls him and asks him to come over in 30m, breaks my heart! So real, so in despair.

So, not only because I can relate to the story, but because the acting is superb, so natural and because I believe the production & direction have accomplished what they were looking for with the movie, I give it great points.

The movie is a true mirror of youth, freshness and it's timeless, Like a Romeo & Julieta of contemporariness.

Drive (I) (2011)

explodes the scale of stars

[10/10 · 25 September 2012]

I am going to be short because there's not much to say as there's no constructive or negative critics to be done to it.

Brilliant!An infinite endless silence after watching such a beautiful master piece. Acting 10, directing, 10, soundtrack 10, photography, 10. script, 10. The scene in the elevator goes for Oscar like a titanic first kiss, an out of Africa, a pride and prejudice and all that type of cinema although there's nothing to compare.

The silence in the movie is disturbingly emotive, the light is so powerful, the music is the perfect match for the action.

Contrary to some of the reviews I don't believe there is another movie like this. It's the first of its kind and I doubt there will ever be anything like this. Maybe Tarantino can attempt.

Frozen (I) (2010)

a realistic 10!!

[10/10 · 27 August 2012]

I had to give this movie a 10- Horror /thriller movies are not my type at all but this one, like Open Water is very well executed. Production, direction and cast -superb work.

You know...the scenario is one of those days that things can go terribly wrong and (not like in the movies) things do go wrong in real life.

A terrible incident that could happen to any of us in an ordinary sky trip to the mountains.

It's not boring, it's not exaggerated, it's not stupid, it's not bad- it an horrifying experience that makes you cheer for the cast survival.

The Usual Suspects (1995)

what a line up!

[9/10 · 24 August 2012]

Number 28 on the list of the top 250 to watch, from the 90's, a superb cast - of course I had to watch it.

I was so enthusiastic about the movie and then for about an hour it follows such a slow pattern, nothing is being added on to but a top noch performance of the cast so I click on its reviews and see some really bad ones which is weird as this is not one of love or hate me type of movie work!A classic can't ever get overrated.

It has a blowing mind final not to be expected and pushes up it's score up to the limit.

I am a girl born in 86 and loved the movie- love the city in the 90's, love Spacey's performance, love del toro performance which seems quite irrelevant as an over all role but it's perfectly executed.

I believe the movie was played to be though of "ok another ordinary inside job movie" although is clearly an very intelligent classic.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Espetacular insanity!

[10/10 · 2 May 2012]

I have watched its trailer and it lead me to think of it as thriller. Those 2 minute footage encouraged me to give it a try without really knowing what to expect as Almodovar never directed a triller/suspense concept.

Well,I don't really know how to rate this movie right now.I compared the first 50 minutes of it with "Kill Bill" from Tarantino with a mixture of raw humor.I felt like Almodovar had lost his mind this time and put together what the public would consider a very underrated movie.Well,at the minute 57 I was finally getting what direction he wanted us to follow.

I believe Almodovar's ultimate goal was to play with the human mind maze in a very unexplored way and he most certainly achieves it. By the end of the movie, your own body is feeling all types of physic sensations and your brain is behaving in a way you won't recognize as yours.

This movie is incredibly well directed and although you will find less of the Almodovar you are used to in it, it shows you the intelligence and directing skills you were waiting to see coming from him.

I describe The skin I live in as very surreal and troubled dream - those that hunt us and let us play around with our deepest desires- The end: a very troublesome awakening for human morality and its acceptance of certain human behaviors and senses.

In one word: superb.

Café de Flore (2011)

Superb movie- It touches you in a deep and unrevealed way

[10/10 · 22 April 2012]

Everything went right in this movie. An absolute art piece of acting, directing & production. The story, common. They used two trivial real life examples and made it sound like beauty. Pure touching beauty, that we keep to ourselves everyday. The pain that we ignore in it everyday. It wakes us up to the real meaning of love, marriage, relationships, signs, God. It explains the meaning of existence through a different set of characters always connected- like we all are. At the end, it makes you wish to go back in time and chose your life all over again, differently. And then, as you can't, it makes you accept life, as what it is meant to be will be.

Not sure if the entire audience will appreciate the "soulmate" concept explored in it but doubt this amazing film will get bad reviews. The soundtrack, camera, actors made it impossible despite the message in it.

The Beach (I) (2000)

what a great movie

[10/10 · 9 June 2007]

this movie was released in 2000 and i watched it only in 2002. I took that time because i heard people saying it was not a good movie. I completely disagree and it is my favorite movie ever. The idea behind it is unusual and different from the argument of loads of other movies. The cast is brilliant, the scenario is too beautiful and i keep thinking about "I still believe in Paradise, but now I know its not some place you can look for, its not where you go, but how you feel for a moment in your life, and if you find that moment it lasts forever!"..don't understand how people can not quote this movie as one of the greatest movies ever. I may say i read the book after and it was very disappointing. The movie has so much adrenalin.