Reviews

Well directed, well acted, As always Alejandro Amenábar has done an excellent job.

The story follows Miguel de Unamuno who was the rector of the university Salamanca before the war. As with happens with many intellectuals he was blind to the consequences of what was happening around him.

The dictatorship's rise and time in power is still a hot potato here in Spain. The transition to democracy, though smooth, did not manage to heal the wounds of seventy years of dictatorship.

This story is timeless: we cannot see the reality of something until it is too late. But even if we can, are we able to change things? Or is it the man with the gun and all the bullets that decides who is in the right?

I know this was made from a comic book / graphic novel, which probably is bad for the fans of said novels. However, if you've never read the books you'll probably find the story very relevant to the times we live in. It makes interesting viewing. It's still a little preachy, but there are things that need to be kept on the front page to try and stop them from perpetuating. The writing is quick, interesting and holds a pace. The actors are top-notch. The only problem I have is the very dodgy Karl Urban 'cockney / London' accent. It rolls between a pantomime Ray Winstone and plane Australian. I'm sure they changed other things from the original work, they could just have changed this too. He's a fine actor, he just didn't need to try to do the accent. On the whole this series continues the trend of adding pathos and comedy to the superhero genre: worth watching.

Berto Romero and Andreu Buenafuente are well-known comedians / actors / TV presenters, and have been very popular over the years. Their quick wit in interviews, and complementing styles have assured them their place in Spanish TV history.

The film tells the story of two has-been pop-star brothers who've spent several years not speaking to each other. They receive a call from the mayor of their home town to head the Easter celebrations.

The film has several laugh-out-loud moments, and was fun to watch. It's not a big blockbuster as other recent Spanish films have been (there were only two of us in the cinema) but we had a good time laughing at the ever widening gap between the traditional rural Spain and the modern city world and their seemingly irreconcilable differences.

The film's not perfect, but it's worth watching.

I recently had my arm twisted to see this film: a new comedy, produced by Antena 3 television under the new Spanish laws that say that television stations have to make so many films a year to help keep the ailing Spanish film industry afloat. They'd said, on the telly, it was the number one film in Spain that week. However, when we went we were the only two people in the cinema. I now know why. Unfortunately, this film is a prime example of what tends to happen when a government obliges the production of creative material to meet a quota. While it tries to copy the American wave of films like 'American Road Trip' or 'There's Something About Mary,': films that shock and make you laugh at the same time. It really fails on all counts humorously. I think the only part I found really funny was when David Fernández got up and did a Chiquito de la Calzada impression in front of the English staff and family. Most of the humour is based around farcical concepts of dramatic irony, which would have been funny in the nineteen eighties, but now are just corny. There's also a trend in Spanish productions to ignore real-life premises, so they can do anything for the sake of the situation, even when it would not be possible in the real world. This, for me, is an easy way out, because you don't have to worry about how the characters will resolve a situation, because there are no limits on what they can do. A man with two degrees does not accept pills from a stranger in real life, because they could be anything. If one of the characters has a disability, then the girl they fall for, and who falls for them, does not have to have a similar disability. The situations set up are resolved in the most predictable ways, and, although they try to shock, do not create a funny situation. I have seen some very funny Spanish comedies: 'Va ser que nadie es perfecto' 'Perdona bonita, pero Lucas me quería a mí' 'La Comunidad' etc. This film just wasn't up to it.

This is a very poor adaptation of a Christian analogy (and classic English literature) about the journey of a man from destruction to salvation. Written in the late 1600s, it was written by an ordinary man for ordinary people. The names of people and lessons learnt were blatantly obvious to help ordinary people understand the underlying message of John Bunyon. This version seems to have been "dumbed down" even more so, with Bible passages directly quoted. This causes a problem as God and "The King" are actually one in the same person in the book, but their names are mixed, so separating them. By doing this, it's more of a turn-off than an attraction. Although the acting is okay, the poor script and setting makes it difficult to watch. I have to recognise that, because of the analogy style of the book, it is hard to adapt such a book without it coming off a little awkward.

This film tells the story of a series of murders based on the real case of "el Petiso Orejudo" in Argentina in the early part of the 20th century. It's filmed from the point of view of another child, who has the visions of the murders. Or is he the real killer? Maribel Verdu is understated in her portrayal of a poor woman in a chauvinistic society trying to cope with a jealous lover and son who's claims are suspicious to say the least. Abel Ayala is excellent in his role as a pathetic kid born into misery and poverty.

On the whole a fine film, good actors and an interesting story, well directed make for a good watch as the story develops to it's tragic end.

I must say first, that the person I went with, loved the film. I went to see it, partly because I like clever murder mysteries, and partly because I wanted to see the brilliant Spanish director's work in an international film.

Whilst the direction in very fluid and first class, I felt the script (dubbed into Spanish)seemed wooden and a little pretentious. I don't know if in the original English the actors give it a quirky / sarky twist, but this was definitely lost in the Spanish release(it didn't help that the voice for John Hurt was the same as Rambo's in the trailer just before the film). The secondary characters seemed a little flat.

All in all, I can't help feeling that the translation and the interpretation of the dubbing actors was the major problem for me to be able to enjoy a film from the man who gave us, "El día de la Bestia" and the darkly funny "La Comunidad".