victormonticelli Reviews

I Believe in One Only Father (2021)

Bad acting

[5/10 · 19 August 2021]

Overall this is an interesting story and setting, but I was drawn out of the movie several times due to the bad performances of some actors.

But strangely enough, I find that it only really shows halfway through. I was captivated by the movie from the get go, the beggining is very strong and well made, but the rest couldn't keep up, unfortunately.

Mirage (2018)

2 hours wasted

[3/10 · 21 April 2020]

I think that the concept behind the movie is interesting, but the main problem here is the writing. There's way too many plotholes, and way too much romance and drama forced into the story about halfway through.

I was kind of enjoying it despite it inconsistencies but since the moment that Vera discovers that the cop was in fact Nico it went downhill very fast. It feels like everything turned into a series of very cheap and unbelieavable plot twists, melodrama and conveniences until a laughable "happy end". Plus, that scene where Vera jumps from the building with open arms in slow motion is so obnoxious... just why?

Svidd neger (2003)

Ulver made me watch this one, too...

[6/10 · 12 February 2014]

I think that Svidd Neger is a pretty regional film, and could be more appreciated by Scandinavian people as one could tell by reading the reviews here.

I kind of like it actually, though I know that that I've missed many points throughout the movie. I've watched it because I love the soundtrack, and I knew it many years before I even knew that there's actually a movie, but nothing could prepare me to the weirdness experience that is in it. Judging by the cover (of the soundtrack) and the music itself, I thought that I was about to watch something completely different.

Anyway, I think that Svidd Neger has its value (even though most people, like myself, will experience a lack comprehension about what's going on almost the entire movie) mainly because it is rich in cultural values, stereotypes and even a sense of humor that I've never being in touch with, and I guess that for that reasons only, it can please some audiences.

Vikings (2013–2020)

Insanely overrated

[2/10 · 29 October 2013]

After hearing so much about this show, I may have created a little to much expectation, but I've tried to watch the first two episodes twice, and I still have the very same opinion. It seems like "Vikings" is just another show to please audiences. It is very carefully crafted in a way that balances the "action" and "violence" with "trendy" characters that just don't seem to fit at all in the storyline.

What i mean is that, I won't feel, neither for just one second, transported to another age, or feel empathy for the characters, mainly because i don't feel that there's any realistic depiction of customs, conversations, relationships or anything. It could be as well an episode of "Sons of Anarchy" in a middle-age scenario, it's just the same thing. It's nothing close to anything that HBO had made, like "Rome", "Tudors" or even "Game of Thrones", which is based on a fictional world, but still is better on creating an authentic atmosphere than "Vikings".

Nonetheless, it seems that somehow it did pleased audiences, but I won't feel like watching any more episodes. Still waiting for a good viking flick/ show...

About Schmidt (2002)

Underrated brilliant film

[10/10 · 17 August 2013]

I watch About Schmidt over and over again and i don't know exactly why, but I've never get tired of it. It's a simple, yet amazing movie about an old man that loses his wife and have to deal with loneliness and the marriage of his only daughter, which for him is also the loss of the only person left in his family.

In essence, About Schmidt is a comedy, though, with a somber tone sometimes, and a little bit of melancholy, built perfectly with the use of the soundtrack, the minimalistic kind of Erik Satie piano throughout most of the movie.

Now, if you pay close attention, it's not just a comedy. This movie is about how the lives of other people have impact on your own, for good or bad, and how we can pursue happiness on the simplest things, because we focus so much on the things that we think are important, on problems that we think are so big, and these things just really stay in the way of what really matters. The ending scene is the heartbreaking conclusion that Schimidt finds out after so much time and effort trying to hold on to things that he could let go before, and the realization of how little his problems and concerns are, because with a little money and the cathartic letters that he always send to Ndugu completely changed the life of another human being, and that Schmidt life wasn't completely worthless as he thought on his way back home.

The Mindscape of Alan Moore (2003)

An interesting inversion of perspective

[10/10 · 29 April 2013]

One can say that a movie has a different impact on every person, and I agree with that, and i do realize that this is not a very well-made documentary per se, but it caused a major impact on me, very much because i wasn't expecting such a tremendous amount of information when i first thought about watching it.

I was, in fact expecting to see some kind of biography and a scratch on the surface on Moore's most popular comic books, and that documentary really have these features, but eventually it becomes a rare piece of modern philosophy and a way to relate with the world that at least for me was entirely fresh and new. A view on the subject of magic that totally made sense to me, and a reflection on our day and age that is realistically terrifying.

Yes, you'll watch a 80-minute monologue by Alan Moore, but I highly recommend it, because if you pay attention, this can be a very enriching experience after all.

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

over-rated but still watchable

[7/10 · 11 March 2013]

I've just watched Beasts of the Southern Wild and came to the conclusion that it is far away from all the hype that surrounds it. Quvenzhané Wallis done a really good job (most of the time), and i guess that if one does deserved the academy award for best leading role, i would be between her and Emmanuelle Riva.

The problem with this movie, for me, is that it is always on the edge between creating a dreamlike atmosphere of anguish and despair mixed with childish fantasies and a gritty, realistic depiction of the lives of the people of the bathtub - to the point where sometimes i've found myself lost in what's the real message that's going on most of the scenes. It misses the point. If the director had choose to go one war OR another, instead of both of them, i bet that it could be so much better.

Anyway, there is kind of a true feeling of bound between father and daughter, and i guess that's what made me rank that movie slightly above average, because there's some really touching scenes and very good acting of the main characters. Worth-seeing mainly because of that features.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Same old formula, weaker new ideas

[2/10 · 30 October 2012]

I gave this movie 2 stars just because i laughed in some scenes, thus it was at least enjoyable enough to deserve more than 1 star (which is the worst note available). In fact, the whole crowd was laughing a lot in many scenes, and i do not blame them, because this movie fails to accomplish anything that it should be, which is to be a horror movie, and it fails so bad that the horror scenes became ridiculous instead of scary.

The found footage style on horror movies, a genre that became popular after the "Blair Witch", is so over-used lately that it ceased to be a tool to build a "realistic", near-documentary atmosphere and turned into just an annoying, shaking and pointless way to record a movie, far from the original, raw feeling that the pioneers achieved.

The problem with Paranormal Activity (the whole franchise), in my opinion, is that it is almost entirely based on the found footage idea, and if you are not in the mood to "believe" that everything on screen really happened and those were real people to enjoy it. Why is that? Because it have really, really bad acting, bad direction, and long scenes where absolutely nothing happens. But then again, if everything on screen is "real", the people aren't acting, there's no direction and people's lives are boring, so nothing really happens most of the time.

Paranormal Activity 3 is essentially the same movie as 1 and 2, but this time with kids. And most people still buy it. Go figure...

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Underrated top-notch science fiction

[8/10 · 17 September 2012]

I think that the main reason that there is very few (or none) good sci-fi movies nowadays is because the audience today is, impressively and unfortunately, far more close-minded than a couple decades earlier. I am almost absolutely sure that Alien would not have such an impact if it was released today. Same with Blade Runner, or any other sci-fi classic.

It seems that today the audience have a hard time untying the bounds with the "Status Quo" or our reality as we experience, and if you don't let yourself go a little, a movie that has such strong concepts and a message underneath the surface such as "Prometheus" can disappoint because it has nothing to do with "that's the way scientists react" or "a living form could not evolve so fast". Ridley Scott tries (and, in my opinion, succeeds) on creating a whole new universe and mythology and for that, he hold no concern on a scientific approach of anything that legitimates a universe that is beyond our comprehension, and therefore he has no intent on explaining everything on screen.

One that could see beyond that "barrier of the far-fetched realism" can enjoy a masterpiece of the science fiction, a movie very rich in subtle meanings and concepts, an approach on origins of man that is rarely original. Ridley Scott is one of the very few directors that still have courage to make a movie that is full of layers, not intended to only make profit or please the audience, but to make you think. If you watch Prometheus more than once, you can experience a whole different movie over and over again.

It is not a perfect movie, though, and it's certainly not Ridley's best, but it is, 30 years later, the universe of Alien revisited, you can feel the atmosphere, you can celebrate that feeling once again, and you can see the the master of science fiction on the screen, which is such a relief, comparing to what the genre has providing us recently.

The Fountain (2006)

arronofsky at his best

[10/10 · 22 July 2012]

one can review a movie based entirely on technical aspects. if it does, "the fountain" can easily score a 10 at every single one of them: for example, the acting is AWESOME. jackman and weisz are in their top notch roles, you can even expect that they'll eventually have a better acting that this.

the soundtrack sticks into your brain forever. clint mansell is a MONSTER. if you've seen "requiem", you'll know what i mean. and the soundtrack of fountain is even BETTER, not only because it fits perfectly into the movie, but because it is not based on another song, like requiem for a dream's mozart-based theme, it is absolutely original.

the direction is superb. i really mean that. if you see this movie more than once, you can see little details that are simply genius. when hugh jackman is walking on the street, very toughtful, for example, you can see that is no audio except for his steps on the snow... when a car almost hit him, the audio suddenly appears, the tires screaming and all. have you ever walked when your mind is completely filled with toughts and stumbled yourself into something that "wakes" you up? then that simple scene will make you fully revive this memory. and that's many, many more amazing details in the direction.

well, i could write about tech specs a million characters more, but it doesn't matter. because the script, the idea and the whole story that is presented on this movie are the most stunning, amazing, incredible thing that you can do in cinema. what we're talking about here is a piece of art that can put side-to-side with the classics, like the godfather, the seven samurai, battleship potemkin or even 2001. truly a piece of art.

1408 (2007)

nice thriller... old school Stephen King adaptation

[7/10 · 4 June 2012]

When i watched this movie i sort of feel the same atmosphere of the Stephen King's adaptations that doesn't went wrong - specially the amazing "misery", and "carrie". It have a very straightforward approach and does not mess up with plot explanations or anything that often turn thrillers with an excellent beginning into something completely different from the expectation that you first created. I think that one of the keys to a good thriller is to not show or tell everything - leave some mystery to the audience, let they fill the blanks into their own minds - and that movie delivers it at last. I must admit that I wasn't expecting much, but it is a very delightful movie, not predictable at all, not perfect, but a worth-seeing.

And i do must to tell about Cusack's astounding performance. I've never seen any other movie in which he plays a character with so much enthusiasm, SPECIALLY when he have to be angry. Really, it's almost comic how much MAD he gets sometimes. The man is really upset.

The Hunger Games (2012)

Boring Games

[1/10 · 30 May 2012]

I really do not understand why all the buzz about this movie. i think it is boring from the beginning to the last scene. There is a lack of elements that make us care about any of the characters, bad acting from almost every actors (even Woody Harrelson).

The movie can be divided in two parts - the first one is an ode to boredom - it takes almost one hour to present the odd world in which the characters live and the characters themselves. Once again, there is nothing really interesting about them both. The scenario is an alternative future where everyone is addicted to beauty and fashion - an interesting view of a possible and near future indeed - but the bad acting and the SLOW pace in this part of the movie made me want to have a remote control and skip it right to the game.

Part two is the game. I must admit that when it finally began i almost had some hope that from that point on it would be a good experience. But unfortunately it goes back to the reign of boredom with full force. I almost felt asleep two times. I could care less for any of the characters that die or gets hurt, and the tasks that they perform are .

In my opinion, this movie is some kind of rip-off from good movies such as Battle Royale and Brazil (for the scenario and weird people) used in a way that does not work at all. Hunger Games is one of those movies that i will forget in less than a month.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

could be a "tales from the crypt" episode

[6/10 · 15 March 2012]

Despite the really bad acting of the whole crew, which is clearly noticeable from the very first scene, this movie have some good features, at least for the 80's trash/gore B-movies fan: the gore scenes are very graphic and have some real good make up and visual effects, it seems like the producers invested a lot of effort on this topic (and maybe forgot about the rest), and that alone is basically what make this movie worth watching. The plot is very simple and predictable most of the time, but it has its twist and the ending sequence, which is really good. Even though I saw many people saying the same about the end, and after seeing this movie, I have to give them credit: the final scene will stuck into your mind forever.