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Reviews
The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Full of energy and emotions. Watch it!
OVERALL 8/10 - Because on one side of the coin it got criticized by catholic magazines and on the other it has been hailed last week as the winner of the Venice Festival 2002, I was quite curious to see Magdalene Sisters... and I liked it! It's the story of three girls (one calm and intelligent, the second one impatient and rebellious, the third endearing and sensitive) who, regarded as sinners by the Irish society, are sent to the convent of Magdalene to atone their sins; in fact, the nuns not only use them for doing the laundry, but also take pleasure in humiliating them in all possible ways. And, what's worse for the poor girls, it will be forever.
THUMBS UP TO: all the camera close-ups, two intense moments (both with Margaret) and Bernadette (for lending some blood and spirit of initiative to the movie; who said Irish people are all paralytic?). And it's a true story.
THUMB DOWN TO: two bursts of emotion seemed gratuitous to me (Rose in the beginning and Crispina in the end receiving sudden awareness of everything). The nuns are sadistic, yet Bernadette remains pretty throughout all the movie. Don't they ever get jealous?
Dead in a Heartbeat (2002)
Anyone now willing to have Ms.Miller as personal surgeon?
Tension 9 - Perhaps you may predict who is going to make it and who isn't, nevertheless many situations are guaranteed to deliver chills to your own heart.
Story 6 - A deranged high-tech wiz out of vengeance implants bombs into the pace-makers applied to Dr.Gillian(Penelope A Miller)'s patients. Task of the surgeon will, of course, be removing them before they explode, with the aid of an artificer (Judge Reinhold). Original idea (with so many crazy people around these days, I don't find it so absurd), although the fact that the killer is omniscient makes it unrealistic. I understand she is meant to look self-assured, however Penelope at the beginning does surgery like she is mixing salad.
Ending 6 - Ordinary
OVERALL 7 - Good high-paced movie with fast action and sharp dialogue; the first scene is recommended for those not yet convinced that cigarettes are bad for the health.
Candyman (1992)
Loved this "fable"!
Atmosphere 8 - The first half is filled with mystery (am I watching crime drama or horror? are the murders truly caused by supernatural forces?), so it's a pleasure and a scare to watch Helen investigate.
Story 9 - "Never say Candyman 5 times in front of the mirror". Helen (Virginia Madsen) for her thesis is determined to discover the truth behind this legend, that regularly kills the unwary reciter, and drives straight to the ghetto, as it's supposed to be home of Candyman. Solid background makes the story convincing.
Ending 10 - Fabulous!
OVERALL 9 (mean score) - Very enjoyable movie, with a strong lead performance from beautiful Virginia Madsen. The creepy music-box soundtrack and Tony Todd's low and spooky (but then, it's the Italian dubber's voice I'm talking about!) voice help mount the tension. Making follow-up episodes 2 and 3 was a mistake, though, as this movie is already complete. Also for me, it will always be Helen!
Zeder (1983)
Sometimes scary, sometimes amusing
Atmosphere 9 - With no music and with the protagonists often left alone, the movie surely makes your flesh creep.
Story 3 - The movie begins with witty dialogue and Stefano (Gabriele Lavia) discovering an obscure message inside the typewriter (which leads him to investigate on the K-zones, grounds in which the dead are said to come back and drag the living to their world). While this should be an exceptional thing, the plot carries on with an improbable event after the other, making the movie an insult to statistics. ***SPOILER START*** [Stefano finding out about the former owner of the typewriter, Stefano's wife Alessandra being friend of the doctor who cured this - mentally ill - owner, Stefano bumping into Spina etc...] And Stefano is so dumb! first, he doesn't leave the burial place, in spite of retrieving vital proof such as a videotape; secondly, with a dead rising in the middle of the floor, clumsily steps right to it... ***SPOILER END***
Ending 9 - ...however the third/ending beats them all! and is a nice climax&catharsis to the movie.
OVERALL 7 (mean score) - While the ways that bring Stefano to find out about the truth are absurd, the movie is enjoyable enough: it delivers some scares along with some humour... and, among so many dead - in the spirit or in the flesh - people, Alessandra delivers a lively performance (so no boredom for me)