Reviews
Demon Seed (1977)
For SciFi collectionists
It is always disappointing to watch an old sci-fi film; everything looks so outdated. Only very few films have managed to survive for some time and not seem ridiculous after 10-15 years, a notable exception being of course 2001. This film is somewhere in between. While the terminals and the huge computer look so outdated, the story somehow is still "plausible". However, the setting could use a little more action and more scenes in different places.
Valkanizater (1997)
Amusing but requiring familiarity with the area
I personally liked the film, but I think it needs some intimate knowledge of northern Greek culture (e.g. to understand football-related jokes), and of the current "economic and cultural" exchange with Greece's northern neighbour Bulgaria (e.g. the 100s of "night-clubs" with Bulgarian dancers that have appeared in Greece during the past 5 years) to appreciate its fine points. Although it has been a mega-hit in Greece last year I doubt if it can become a success elsewhere. Anyway, my impression is that it accurately describes a lot of elements of contemporary Balkan mentality (if there is such a thing) and is amusing to watch.
The Avengers (1998)
Cool and stylish
This is again one of the movies which pleased me aesthetically. The empty cities and irreal characters were there, just like in the original series. The story off course was exaggerated but weren't they all. It's a bit of a pity that the Sean Connery character was not a bit more intellectual though.