jrgirones Reviews

Summer of 84 (2018)

A delight of a thriller

[8/10 · 25 August 2018]

Yes, the ressemblances to "Stranger Things", "Suburbia" and so on are evident from the very start, but fortunately this achieves a life of its own thanks to deft and clever narrative (it grabs you even if the plot rings familiar and it has the guts to end in a way that's hardly predictable), high production values despite working with an indie budget and - crucially - convincing acting from all the kids (Rich Sommer is very effective too as the ambiguous neighbor). Kept me very entertained all the way and the end was a distinctive plus. If you previously enjoyed the films that inspired this, you may still check it out... It's a delight of a thrill ride.

Nobody Famous (2018)

An enjoyable satire

[7/10 · 20 June 2018]

Satire about the miseries of a bunch of wannabe actors and celebrities, filled with increasingly dark humor and some funny one-liners. Its aesthetic choices and particularly its score are surprising at first because they are very reminiscent of a thriller, but at the end I found them to work very well by contrast and matched the darkness at the core of the story. All in all, quite inspired and enjoyable.

The Valdemar Legacy (2010)

Nice tribute to the classics!

[8/10 · 7 February 2010]

The majority of critics have been unfair to this movie. This is a nice homage to the classics of the terror genre and to the world of Lovecraft. Aficionados will enjoy the references with delight.

The story is well told and interesting enough, and though it leaves some loose ends (the second installment will see the light on October), the main story (told in a large flashback) concludes in a spectacular climax that is something to be seen.

The production values are top notch.

The only setbacks are some pieces of dialog, too long and literary, that drag the pace in the middle section.

All in all, this is a remarkable first feature from director José Luis Alemán.

Soldiers of Salamina (2003)

Great adaptation!

[8/10 · 12 April 2003]

The Javier Cerca's book in which this film is based was already an excellent material to make a movie, and director David Trueba doesn't deceive at all the expectations generated.

Trueba's screenplay introduces a lot of significant changes (the main one is the gender of the protagonist, now a woman, a role wonderfully performed by Ariadna Gil), and far from betraying the novel's spirit, all of these changes add a lot of deepness to the story.

As far as the direction is concerned, Trueba mixes admirably fiction, the recreation of historical events and archive material. The main character's investigation about a surprising event at the end of the Spanish Civil War is filmed under a realistic light and with a documentary approach, and that is in harmony with the rest of the textures used to recreate historical facts.

The whole cast deserve special mention, too.

All in all, "Soldados de Salamina" is one of the most interesting Spanish films shown to date. Not only a notable cinematic work, but also a touching story about the nonsense of war and the little acts that ordinary people do in order to redeem our imperfect human condition.

Los clarines del miedo (1958)

An unknown film that must be rediscovered

[8/10 · 10 April 2003]

This is not the typical enchanted look to bullfights, which is one of the most distinctive identification signs for the Spanish culture. This film provides a more darker and insightful look to the fiesta and demolishes almost all the stereotypes surrounding it.

Here the main characters (the two "toreros") are presented with their illusions and respect towards bullfights, but also with fear, making them humans and not simply bravura heroes.

In the same way, the people who attend the spectacle (represented by that pintoresque villagers in an incredibly naturalistic way) are not presented just as simple spectators, but as a fierce audience willing to enjoy the fiesta even if there's blood in the "ruedo".

So, bullfighting is not only shown as a form of macho bravery, art or vane entertainment, but also in a more realistic way. This surprises us today bearing in mind the time when the film was shown, in which all Spanish signs of identity had to be glorified in order to please the Dictatorship.

"Los clarines del miedo" should be rediscovered and praised as one of the most significant Spanish films concerning its traditions.

Nervous Ticks (1992)

A pale reflection of Scorsese's "After Hours"

[2/10 · 5 January 2003]

This film doesn't work and you can blame the screenplay for it.

The premise is very appealing, but the subplots are not well integrated. The one involving a suitcase full of money, for example, is very confusing simply because its twists and turns hasn't any sense.

And it's no more believable the one concerning the woman who wants to get rid of her husband with the help of the protagonist. You just can't believe in the fascination the protagonist feels about her since she's not the kind of femme fatale she would have had to be. She's just plain vulgar and hysterical.

But the worst sin of all is the depiction of the protagonist. It's a pity the key character is so bad written: he is simply not coherent with his objectives. The characters have to behave and act in order to achieve a determinate goal. That seems obvious, but the protagonist of this film takes incoherent decisions and, in addition, at times he seems very polite, well-mannered and incapable of misbehave... and in the next sequence we see him running away with another person's suitcase full of money and planning to kill a man! No coherence here.

This reminded me a lot of Martin Scorsese's "After hours" (a character trying to escape from one disastrous situation only to collide with a worse one), but even the central character there was just passive and things just happened to him, he always tried to escape and he was coherent all along the way. That just doesn't happen with the central character of "Nervous Ticks". And unfortunately, it hasn't either the frantic mood of "After hours" because the plot gets stuck in the middle.

I'm sorry. It was a nice try, but...

The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)

Disappointing, lacks of nerve and inner coherence

[3/10 · 1 January 2003]

I had heard fantastic reviews about this film, so I was really eager to watch it. And then... What a disappointment! I liked the minimalistic directorial job and some scenes (particularly the end) were rather interesting, but all in all it's hard to believe this film is from the same director of "Bullit" because it lacks of nerve. It has no momentum at all, due to confusing editing and poorly structured screenplay.

To resume, the main problem is that it loses a lot of time developing subplots of little relevance.

For example, the film begins with the images of the set up for a bank robbery, which is very confusing: screenwriter analyst Linda Seger says that the first images from a film have to transmit us the main concept of it, so the viewer can figure out what is going to be told. But during the first half of the movie we see various shoots from the bank robbery, when the robbery itself has little importance. What is real important here is the act of betrayal, and as long as the relationship between Peter Coyle and his friends is somehow ellipsed, the film's concept has no strength at all.

In fact, it is hard to figure out what this movie is about until it has run a long time. That creates confusion and difficults the viewer to be involved.

After watching this film ask yourself who Eddie Coyle's friends were, what were they like and what kind of relationship Eddie had with them, and then you'll understand what I am talking about.

Last Action Hero (1993)

Nice effort!

[6/10 · 31 December 2002]

The concept here is brilliant, as it was in Buster Keaton's "Sherlock Jr." or Woody Allen's "The purple Rose...". Collision between fiction and reality is given an ironical and witty treatment, and that makes "Last action hero" one of the most interesting commercial action films of the late years.

Then, why everybody says it is flawed? Aside from the ambivalence of having born with a smash hit vocation and wanting to be something more, which makes the original premise to lose weight along the way, I would say the principal flaws have its roots in a bad structured screenplay: the plot of the movie within the movie (a vane, not original at all mob story) is given too much importance, and when we come to the real point (the confrontation between fiction and reality) we are almost at the end and then a lot of a good story beats happen quickly and disordered, creating a little bit of a mess.

Anyway, let me insist this is, at least, very curious and fun, and movie lovers will appreciate it above all its flaws.

Showgirls (1995)

Excellent

[8/10 · 30 December 2002]

This excellent remake of "All about Eve" have been extremely underrated without motives. First of all,I will say it is far more sordid in its depiction of Las Vegas showbusiness backstage than the majority led you to believe.

The principal guarantee is that it is directed by Paul Verhoeven, one of the most interesting and personal filmakers nowadays, with frenzy and nerve and that mixture of sex and violence characteristic of his filmography, so there's no doubt this is one of his most personal works for the screen. His perverse look to human desire, impulses and instincts and the direct way he brings it to he screen are something really unique and make him an "author" rather than a mere director. Talking about "Showgirls", the exciting choreographies and its connection with what is being told reveal his love and knowledge of the musical genre.

In addition, the script by Eszterhas is a malicious retelling of the Cinderella's tale, manipulative, funny, filled with great dialogue and a sense for rhythm than a lot of screenwriters would like to have.

Gina Gershon shines in her role, but I simply can't believe why the critics deceased Elisabeth Berkley when her performance is filled with enthusiasm and energy.

Bear all this in mind, and at least, give it a try! If you know and admire Verhoeven's work, you will sure appreciate "Showgirls" in its just measure.

El robo más grande jamás contado (2002)

Nice fun!

[7/10 · 7 December 2002]

Daniel Monzon's second feature as a director is an extremely enjoyable homage to all those films involving great and impossible robberies gone wrong. It has a fortunate sense for hilarious visual gags and it is narrated with very good pulse, even if the conclusion makes it a little bit longer than one would desire. It also has a bunch of funny, well-depicted characters brought to live by a perfect cast. If you catch it, you'll have a good time.

Historia de un beso (2002)

Touching after all

[7/10 · 3 December 2002]

This film has been accused by critics of being slow, tedious and literary in excess.

Yes, it has a smooth rhythm compared with a lot of its contemporaries and the majority of the dialogues lack of spontaneity due to its extreme accuracy. But the story is so warm and near that you can't help feeling touched by it.

"Historia de un beso" deals with memories that hurt as well as they fill us with melancholy when they come back to us. It's a beautiful and sad story about love that cannot be fulfilled but it's always well remembered.

Yes, I agree with the fact that its literacy it's too much calculated, but I've seen people crying with emotion while they were watching the movie, and I found myself touched at the end, too. If you liked Garci's previous movie ("You're the one, una historia de entonces" is the first of a trilogy) you won't be disappointed.

Lady Scarface (1941)

Nice Surprise!

[7/10 · 11 September 2002]

Here's one more little jewel from the RKO collection. An exciting thriller, well plotted, amusing and concise (it hardly arrives to 70 minutes!).

But what makes this film so special is its revolutionary treatment of the noir's conventions and the advanced-for-its-times feminist touch: here, the devious gangster is a woman (fantastic Judith Anderson)instead of a man, opposite to a brave female journalist who will help the police to catch her. The film deals admirably with the confusion game, relaying on the male centric point of view in noir's genre only to turn it down: the male main characters appear here as incompetent (those policemen who think they go after a man because they can't bear the idea of being defeated by a woman) and weak (the whole male gang is completely dominated by the powerful lady Scarface).

Without doubts, "Lady Scarface" is one to watch! Don't miss either "The Curtain Call", from the same director, Frank Woodruff, and a funny screenplay by Dalton Trumbo.

Smoking Room (2002)

True!

[8/10 · 19 August 2002]

A combative office-worker is recollecting signatures. People are not allowed to smoke in the building, so he wants to ask the bosses to habilitate a smoking room. It seems logical and his colleagues praise the initiative. But actually what comes next reveals the fierce individualism, selfishness and cowardice that each one hide under their white collar.

"Smoking Room" is probably the best Spanish movie of the year: thought-provoking and filmed with coherence and style. The story is brought to images in a way that reminds me neorealism: the austerity of every shot, the claustrophobic atmosphere and the scrutiny of every actor face in extremely close-up is amazingly related with the content the films deals with and makes the whole picture ring so true to the viewer.

This has to be remarked while "Smoking Room" is a directorial film debut and both Gual and Wallovits come from the Advertisement business. One would have expect something more stylish, even superficial as a consequence of that, and instead Gual and Wallovits surprise us with a proof of talent that shows more coherence, bravery and sense of the "mise en scene" than any experimented director with a big budget to work with.

The screenplay, also written by Gual and Wallovits, begins with a simple action of an idealist worker. That's a simple but brilliant idea that permits the writers to focus on every character in a magistral way, with dialogues that may seem trivial but are rich in psychological meaning. As the minimum plot unfolds, the situation grows dark and tense. The characters show the worst of themselves and confront each other, but strangely enough, they don't appear as monsters: only like human beings, with all they misery and highness, too, as the end sequence of the film intends to remark.

As you may have guessed, in a film like this the cast performances are very important and in fact is impossible to review "Smoking Room" without referring to the enormous talent of every actor in the cast. They are simply superb, extraordinary believable. And not only that, they have proved to be great professionals as they starred in this film almost without receiving any money in return. And I can assure you they are not beginners.

Strongly recommended!

X (2002)

Solid noir

[7/10 · 13 July 2002]

Luis Marias' director debut is a solid noir that demonstrates once more his ability as a writer to create charismatic characters and well plotted stories.

This is a classical noir story, intriguing until the last minute, precise, violent and complex: there's an alcoholic police detective (excellent Antonio Resines), the anguished anti-hero without memory who investigates a crime he may have committed after a monumental hangover; there's that femme fatale (Abascal, great actress) too, the victim's sister, hurt in her leg and in her past; a bag full of money stolen from an expeditive gang; a fallen-from-grace actress (recuperated Esperanza Roy, she may start a new career after her solid performance)that witnessed the crime and takes advantage from it to blackmail the troubled detective...

Sound familiar? Maybe, but Maria's update all this recurrent items and constructs a neo-noir thriller with its own personality, following the Spanish noir tradition that director Enrique Urbizu renewed in the eighties with "Todo por la pasta".

As far as the direction is concerned, Luis Marias puts together some good moments (the film start, so concise; the recurrent X motive - a reference to Hawks' "Scarface"? -, above all in that beautiful image of Resines and Abascal in a railway intersection; the desolating ending) and shows enough competence to keep up the tension along the film.

I'd say we can expect notable things from him in the future!

Heaven (1998)

Marvelous

[9/10 · 13 July 2002]

Last night I watched "Heaven" on television. I was about to skip it because I hadn't heard nothing about it. Luckily, I stayed tuned. And I say luckily because it's one of the best films that I've seen lately.

"Heaven" is a marvelous conjunction of neo-noir drama with a surprising touch of magic realism. The story-line is so original that caught me in a while. The film construction is puzzling, but never confusing, and helps the film to be even more thrilling and fascinating than it's promising premise allowed us to expect. The editing job here is really remarkable; I'd dare to say it is, along with "Pulp Fiction" and "Memento", one of the most coherent and creative works seen in the nineties American filming.

Martin Donovan is excellent, as well as the rest of the cast, but if you look for one unforgettable character, the travesty Heaven, sweet, strong in her weakness and with the surprising ability to anticipate the fate of those who surround her, will immediately catch your eye.

After watching "The ugly" and this extraordinary piece of film art, I'm really looking forward to see Scott Reynold's new project.

The Blackout (1997)

Not among Ferrara's best films, but stimulating after all

[5 June 2002]

What is real stimulating about an Abel Ferrara movie is that, whether you like it or not, it'll never leave you indifferent. In my point of view, "The Blackout" is not among the better ones, I'd even call it a failure, but has some great moments and several points of interest. After all, it comes from Ferrara, one of the most personal looks in cinema today, and what comes from a great director, even if it's not that good, at least it's worth trying.

Be aware: it's difficult to come into "The Blackout" because it's basically confusing (too much I have to say). But even if it's not well handled, this style is coherent with the argument as far as Ferrara wants to bring to images the point of view of an alcoholic during a monumental hangover.

If you are capable of going through the first thirty minutes, you'll be rewarded with an stimulating reflection about addiction and the limits between fiction and reality: the key of the main character's enigmatic hangover seems to be found in the filming of an experimental movie... another excuse to reflect on the dark side of movie making and the status of the director.

Try it. Maybe you'll like it or maybe you'll end leaving it in the middle, but at least, this film will make you react in some way, which is not very usual in cinema today.

Iris (I) (2001)

Not an Iris Murdoch biography

[6/10 · 4 June 2002]

Seems that we're in front of a biopic, but this is more another "mental disease film". "Iris" only focuses in two aspects of the writer's live: the meeting with Bayley when she was young and above all the decadence and alzheimer suffering when older. What about the other interesting aspects of Murdoch's life? And why they forget the other people who surrounded her and make them appear just plain in the film?

I went out of the cinema having the feeling that I had enjoyed supreme performances, delicate direction from Eyre and a coherent construction of the story-line (that editing evoking the disorder of Iris when ancient), but without knowing that writer at all.

The Brontë Sisters (1979)

Cold

[6/10 · 1 June 2002]

Exquisite direction, beautiful cinematography and precise performances of all the entire cast cannot prevent this film of being excessively cold. The mood tries to recreate the unexciting existences and fatalist life philosophy of the Brönte sisters, but it makes the film icy and a little dull. However, the worst of all is that you can rarely connect with such cold characters through freezing (but after all deliberate) acting. Nice effort, but failed anyway.

Killing Me Softly (2002)

Only watchable

[4/10 · 29 May 2002]

Watchable but disappointing erotic thriller which is basically a Hitchcock's wannabe: there's a MacGuffin (the killing of young ladies and Graham's character wondering if her husband could be the murderer) and an appealing main subject (mistrust and paranoia within the marriage)through which the intrigue is set. The problem is that the film becomes predictable since nearly the first minute and consequently the intrigue disappears and even becomes ridiculously solved towards the end.

It is supposed to be erotic, too, but some nudity scenes are not enough to achieve that effect: not only there's no imagination here, but also oriental director Kaige imitates without originality the erotic climax of the Japanese classic "Ai no corrida" ("In the realm of the senses") directed by Nagisa Oshima.

Besides, and despite being a reasonably good actor, Joseph Fiennes is not very convincing in the role of ambiguous husband.

Enjoy Patrick Doyle lovely and thrilling score (with a Bernard Herrmann's edge... after all, the central object here is to recreate the Hitchcock´s mood) and not worry too much if you miss this watchable pot boiler.

A Self-Made Hero (1996)

Lacks of tension

[6/10 · 23 May 2002]

Original in its subject (the story is about a fake hero in the Second World War, but it deals too with the way we all build our everyday masking personality in front of the society)and its form (the film is structured as a mock documentary), "A self-made hero" contains lots of irony and a great performance of Kassovitz. However, even though it didn't want to be a thriller, the plot needed more tension and unfortunately lacks of it. We rarely have the feeling that the main character is going to be discovered and due to that some twists aren't believable at all.

A Woman Rebels (1936)

Entertaining, but not a relevant approach to feminism

[7/10 · 23 May 2002]

Katharine Hepburn shines as always in this entertaining film that tries to focus on the raise of feminism in the last mid-century. The subject is interesting enough and so is the personality of the main character, played consistently by Miss Hepburn in a mixture of strength and frailty, but unfortunately this ends being a soapy melodrama. Extremely watchable, but could have been a more relevant approach to feminism.

Christopher Strong (1933)

A little gem in Hepburn's career

[8/10 · 23 May 2002]

It's ironical this film to be titled as the main male character, above all when this raises among film classics for its accurate depiction, not only of the main female one, but also of the female secondary roles. It is probably due to the fact that it is directed by a woman, but the talent of Arzner goes beyond through accurate cinematography and a sense for lyrical melodrama far from the soapy tone of the majority of its contemporaneous. Katharine Hepburn is exulting as the brave woman always a step further its era, here in love for the first time with a married man. Particularly moving is the last sequence, with Hepburn trying to achieve the altitude record with her airplane as she confronts the most relevant facts of her story. A little gem to be discovered.

A mi madre le gustan las mujeres (2002)

Amusing, but artificial and unrealistic

[5/10 · 20 May 2002]

Leonor Watling shows her great talent for the comedy genre in this amusing, weel-made film which fails in portraying the central conflict. The lesbian relationship between the mother's character (Rosa Maria Sarda, wonderful as always)and her lover is totally unbelievable and artificial - they don't even kiss each other during the whole film! - and that affects the credibility of it all. You'll sure have a good time, but it's a real pity that the directors didn't hold the central subject with more bravery than that.

The Shadow (1994)

Astonishing and fun!

[7/10 · 20 May 2002]

The majority of critics have said that the most remarkable point here is the great visual design. In fact, it is really astonishing but "The Shadow" is more than that. It has an exciting screenplay from the notable David Koepp, with thrilling situations, action, fun and even homages to classic movies (the one concerning Gene Kelly's and Stanley Donen's "On the town" up the Empire State is really malicious... don't miss it!!). Russel Mulcahy's direction is vibrant and goes far beyond the visual design and the incredible special effects by insufflating to the Shadow's character the appropriate epical halo. It really deserved more luck than it had, so give it a chance and enjoy this admirable fantasy brought with honors to the big screen.

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Plain fun

[6/10 · 20 May 2002]

This demonstrates the talent of John Carpenter: a movie that would have been ridiculous in other director's hands, here appears as one of the greatest and funniest cinematic jokes of all times. Everyone involved is aware of that and the feeling that they amused themselves a lot during the making of is trespassed to the viewers. I think it's not the director's finest at all (have you seen "The night of Halloween"?) and in some moments it even has the structure of a kung-fu computer game, but it's only intentional and self-conscious plain fun and that redeems it. Don't take it seriously and enjoy the marvelous fighting scenes!