A Film A Day: Adventure

Everest (2015)

Cast

Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson, Thomas Wright, Martin Henderson, Elizabeth Debicki, Naoko Mori, Clive Standen, Vanessa Kirby, Tom Goodman-Hill, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Charlotte Bøving, Micah Hauptman, Chris Reilly, Chike Chan, Vijay Lama, Mark Derwin, Mia Goth

Storyline

On the morning of May 10, 1996, climbers from two commercial expeditions start their final ascent toward the summit of Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth. With little warning, a violent storm strikes the mountain, engulfing the adventurers in one of the fiercest blizzards ever encountered by man. Challenged by the harshest conditions imaginable, the teams must endure blistering winds and freezing temperatures in an epic battle to survive against nearly impossible odds.

Opinion

Once again I had high expectations and once again I've been disappointed. Stuffed with famous names, Everest is a well done chronicle film, that only invites to observe and not feel.

With an overlong first half focused on the preparation of the climbing itself and acclimatization to the high altitude, and a second half focused on the tragedy itself, the film does not lack credibility or attention in the reconstruction of the events, but it's soulless. Apart from the fact that the division between part one and part two is like a clear cut, the film does not go beyond telling the facts as they are, and completely fails in showing the difficulties you may encounter in such a climbing, and the hostility of the environment.

The characters are a washout. The only well outlined character is climber Rob Hall, that with his company Adventure Consultants guided even clients with little experience on the top of the Everest. Unfortunately, Hall's rival Scott Fischer is very superficial, portrayed as an reckless drunkie. The other characters are just plot elements, and characterized by some small details - like Doug, the mailman pursuing his dream, or Yasuko, the woman completing the seven summits. Also, Anatoli Boukreev definitely deserved more space in the story.

The actors are wasted. While Jason Clarke and Josh Brolin give good performances, Jake Gyllenhaal's only purpose is delivering stupid lines, Emily Watson's New Zealand accent is unconvincing, Keira Knightley occasionally shows up crying, and Robin Wright doesn't even need to be in the film.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

Genre

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Country

USA

Cast

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, James Tolkan, Elisabeth Shue, Jeffrey Weissman, Flea

Storyline

Stranded in 1955, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) must travel to 1885 to rescue Doc (Christopher Lloyd) from death at the hands of yet another member of the Tennen clan. However, there are a number of complications preventing a quick return to the future: a lack of gasoline for the time-traveling DeLorean, a band of gunslinging outlaws and a schoolmarm (Mary Steenburgen) with affections for the smitten Doc.

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I should have probably waited till Tuesday to review this film - October 27th. Unfortunately, I've just realized that, and since it's not 1985, it's not that big deal, is it?

Final chapter of a wonderful trilogy, Back to the Future Part III is an exciting and funny two-hour trip to the wild west that lives up to the original.

Following the events of Back to the Future Part II straight away, this film brings us back in time, providing a wonderful journey in the old west, without missing to quote some of the most famous western films.

One of the best things about it is the face off between past and present - or future, I don't know. It's funny to see Marty's reaction to the water that has been served to him - water that does look like mud -, or people in the Saloon thinking that Marty's Nike are Native Americans moccasins, or everybody laughing at Doc when he says that in the future people will walk just for fun because cars will be invented.

This time, the characters change a bit. While Tennen is still an asshole, and Marty is pretty much the same - perhaps a little less sentimental -, Doc faces some changes. While he still is a crazy, creative scientist, he has to deal with the most irrational event that could ever have occurred to him: falling in love at first sight.

I know that many consider this one the best entry in the trilogy, but I disagree, and the main reason lies in the lack of logic. In all the previous films, Doc never failed to point out the dangerousness of time traveling as it can change the present/future drastically. So, with Doc staying in 1885, isn't he going against all he said? And raising a family in the old west wouldn't rewrite the past and complicate the future? In Back to the Future, 1985 changed quite a bit for just a punch.

Once again in Marty McFly's shoes - and Seamus as well -, Michael J. Fox does a good job. Christopher Lloyd is magnificent, and more human than ever as Doc. Mary Steenburgen gives a wonderful performance as Clara. Good job also from Thomas F. Wilson.

Quotes

Marty McFly: Hey, Doc! Where you goin' now? Back to the future?

Doc: Nope. Already been there.

Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Genre

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Country

USA

Cast

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Elisabeth Shue James Tolkan, Jeffrey Weissman, Crispin Glover, Flea

Storyline

Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) has only just gotten back from the past, when he is picked up by Doc (Christopher Lloyd) and sent through time to the future to resolve a few problems with the future McFly family. But when the two return home, they soon discover that the present is not as it was supposed to be.

Opinion

Where are we? When are we? asks Marty, to which Doc replies we're descending toward Hill Valley, California, at 4:29 pm, on Wednesday, October 21st, 2015. And here we are, October 21st, 2015, waiting for Marty McFly's arrive, so what a better moment to talk about this film? This kind of opportunity comes once in a lifetime. Once in the human existence actually.

Still having that magic feeling of the first installment, Back to the Future Part II is one great ride through time, as well as a really interesting and very well made sequel.

A few things I can say for sure. First, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale do really have a lot of imagination. Second, they took a hell of a risk making a film that requires the view of Back to the Future, otherwise the non-understanding of a multitude of things.

From the present to the future, back to the present, and then back to the past is what happens in a nutshell. So many things could have gone wrong here, but Zemeckis and Gale did a wonderful job, reproposing scenes from the old film seen from different angles, and thus offering a whole range of new scenarios to accommodate the variations of the new past.

Every paradox of time travel is explained very well in the film, and the dangerousness of meeting their other selves is embraced with clever-ish camouflages, chases and lot of suspense.

Michael J. Fox is a bit older and you can tell, but he is still our Marty, the charismatic, sympathetic guy we met back in 1985 - or was it 1955? How about Christopher Lloyd? I don't know, he is just spectacular as Doc, and Fox and him keep their characters as entertaining as they were before. Worth of a mention is Thomas F. Wilson, who is brilliant is the double role of Biff Tannen and Griff.

Quotes

Doc: Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.

Back to the Future (1985)

Genre

Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Director

Robert Zemeckis

Country

USA

Cast

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, James Tolkan, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber

Storyline

The year is 1985 and Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a typical American teenager, is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a plutonium-powered DeLorean invented by his good friend Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd). Now Marty has to come to grips with being in the 50's and get his parents to fall in love to set straight the damage his presence has done to the events of the past.

Opinion

This film has recently turned 30 -- in Italy was actually released today thirty years ago, what a coincidence -- but the unbelievable thing is how well it aged, and its ability to deliver, every single time, the same feelings of the first time.

First chapter of un unforgettable trilogy, Back to the Future is a spectacular, entertaining, and exciting mixture of adventure, comedy, science fiction, and engaging events capable of making the viewer dream.

Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale's wonderful script mixes humour and unpredictability in a plot than is far from simple and obvious. Never boring, the story is exciting and upbeat and will keep the viewer glued to the screen from start to finish.

I think the point of the film lies in getting the viewer to understand how a simple action, or a simple word can change the outcome of one or more lives, which bring us to an inevitable question: how would the world be if time travelling was possible?

The ball scene when Marty plays Johnny B Goode leaving all the 1955 kids stunned is just epic. Also the soundtrack is spectacular.

The cast goes along with the film. Sympathetic, charismatic, and effervescent, Michael J. Fox is the perfect main character and really does a great job with Marty McFly. However, Christopher Lloyd is superb as the over-the-top mad scientist (the friend that every teenager, and non, would like to have). Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover both do a good job as Marty's parents.

Quotes

Dr. Emmett Brown: If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.

Marty McFly: Whoa. Wait a minute, Doc. Are you trying to tell me that my mother has got the hots for me?
Dr. Emmett Brown: Precisely.
Marty McFly: Whoa. This is heavy.
Dr. Emmett Brown: There's that word again. "Heavy." Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth's gravitational pull?

Centurion (2010)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Drama

Director

Neil Marshall

Country

Cast

Michael Fassbender, Olga Kurylenko, Dominic West, Liam Cunningham, David Morrissey, J.J. Feild, Ulrich Thomsen, Noel Clarke, Riz Ahmed, Dimitri Leonidas, Dave Legeno, Axelle Carolyn, Imogen Poots, Paul Freeman, Rachael Stirling, Michael Carter, Tom Mannion, Peter Guinness, Lee Ross, Jake Maskall, Eoin Macken, Neil Marshall

Storyline

A.D. 117. Roman centurion Quintus Dias (Michael Fassbender) leads a group of soldiers on a raid of a Pict camp to rescue a captured general (Dominic West). As one of the soldiers murdered the son of the Pict leader (Ulrich Thomsen), the Romans find themselves hunted by a seemingly unstoppable group of Pict's warriors, led by deadly tracker known as Etain (Olga Kurylenko).

Opinion

Beautiful at look, Centurion is a very well made film, bloody, and brutal, with fantastic fighting scenes, yet dull because it somehow fails in engaging the viewer.

The main problem with the film is that it focuses on the visual aspect instead of the writing, and it is a huge shame because considering the subject, the film could have been so much better. There isn't much depth to the characters, the story is mediocre and predictable, and the dialogue is lifeless.

The film opens with some nonsense, and goes on with some other nonsense. First, why do the Picts leave Quintus Dias (Fassbender) alive? Only because he can speak their language? It doesn't make lot of sense to me. Second, how did Etain manage to tell such a detailed story of what happened to her, if she was mute? Third, the Picts are supposed to kill and decapitate the Romans, but when Bothos is shot in the leg with an arrow, one of the Picts says, "Let him bleed". Like, seriously? After chasing them for hours, they just let him bleed. Fourth, the Picts killed thousands Romans and captured their general, still three Romans manage to kill the most lethal Picts. That's unreal.

Michael Fassbender does a decent job as Quintus Dias, the Romans leader. Too bad the film didn't give him the chance to show off his acting abilities, but gave him a sword and lots of action instead. The supporting cast does a good job. Olga Kurylenko well delivers her performance through facial expressions and body language. David Morrissey, Dominic West, Ulrich Thomsen, and Imogen Poots all do a good job.

Quotes

Centurion Quintus Dias: In the chaos of battle, when the ground beneath your feet is a slurry of blood, puke, piss and the entrails of friends and enemies alike, it's easy to turn to the gods for salvation. But it's soldiers who do the fighting, and soldiers who do the dying, and the gods never get their feet wet.

Apollo 13 (1995)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | History

Director

Ron Howard

Country

USA

Cast

Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, Chris Ellis, Joe Spano, Marc McClure, Clint Howard, Ray McKinnon, Todd Louiso, Loren Dean, Xander Berkeley, David Andrews, Christian Clemenson, Ben Marley, Brett Cullen, Ned Vaughn, Tracy Reiner, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Max Elliott Slade, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Thom Barry, Rance Howard, Jean Speegle Howard

Storyline

Based on the true story of the 13th Apollo mission, astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) leads command module pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and lunar module driver Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) on what is slated as NASA's third lunar landing mission. All goes smoothly until the craft is halfway through its mission, when an exploding oxygen tank threatens the crew's oxygen and power supplies.

Opinion

Houston, I have a problem. I did not like this film as much as I would have. I'd like to start by saying that I did not know what happened back in 1970 in the space, and while a part of me was feeling ashamed for being such an ignorant, the other part was happy because in this way the film would have been way more exciting. But I guess there is no worst way to kill tension than opening the film saying, "Based on Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger's book 'Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13'" when it's pretty clear Jim Lovell is going to be the main character - unless he wrote the book while he was exhausted on the Apollo 13, and he somehow managed to send it back to the earth, the result is pretty obvious.

Unfortunately this is not my only complain. Apollo 13 is extremely dull for the first 30 minutes of the film - revolving around Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon, and our astronauts preparing for their mission -, and even though it gets back on track after that, and it minimally manages to engage the audience and make them feel some empathy for the astronauts, it is overfilled with sentimentality.

Ron Howard does a pretty good job, and tells the story in a very accurate way, but, as I pointed out before, he linger on emotional scenes with the astronaut's family members and friends, that seems shallow, unnecessary and put there just to fill some time.

However, the editing is brilliant and perfectly manages to show at the same time both the difficulty encountered by the astronauts and their will to survive, and the efforts made by the base of the NASA to bring the guys back home. The musical score by James Horner is spectacular, and so are the visual effects.

The acting is great. Tom Hanks does a job, even though he is not much believable as an astronaut. Ed Harris excels as Gene Kranz. Great performances also come from Gary Sinise, an actor I like, Kevin Bacon, and Bill Paxton respectively as Ken Mattingly, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise. Kathleen Quinlan is also very good as Jim Lovell's wife.

Quotes

Gene Kranz: I don't care about what anything was designed to do, I care about what it can do.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | Western

Director

Kevin Costner

Country

USA

Cast

Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal, Jimmy Herman, Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse, Michael Spears, Jason R. Lone Hill, Charles Rocket Robert Pastorelli, Larry Joshua, Tony Pierce, Kirk Baltz, Tom Everett, Maury Chaykin, Wes Studi, Wayne Grace, Michael Horton

Storyline

Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), exiled to a remote western Civil War outpost, befriends wolves and Native Americans, making him an intolerable aberration in the military.

Opinion

Some people said there's no reason for the film's three-hour length. I agree on that, because the film's length was supposed to be almost four hours, but then the studio made Costner cut some parts.

Dance with Wolves is a marvelous, adventurous, romantic, peaceful, and violent western, full of love and hate, misunderstanding and guidance.

Never before has a story about Native Americans been told with such emotion, and although such contacts hardly ever took place, because of the racist dominant culture, this 'what if' story is simply spectacular. The magnificent storytelling drew me in, and made me one with it's leading character, as the Native Americans were with nature.

Kevin Costner's directorial debut is flawless. I'm amazed at how smooth the film is, whether is an action, romance, or quiet scene.

The cinematography is breathtaking. The scenery is absolutely stunning. The musical score also is spectacular.

The acting is great. Kevin Costner plays the role of John Dunbar to perfection, delivering his best performance ever. The supporting cast is excellent: Graham Greene delivers an outstanding performance as Kicking Bird, Mary McDonnell delivers an emotionally deep performance as Stands With A Fist, and Rodney A. Grant is wonderful as Wind In His Hair.

Not too many films leave you feeling enriched, but this one does. And if you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend you the Director's Cut version, it might be longer, but it's flawless, and you'll never want this 'journey' to be over.

Quotes

John Dunbar: Many times I'd felt alone, but until this afternoon I'd never felt completely lonely.

John Dunbar: My name is Dances with Wolves. I have nothing to say to you. You are not worth talking to.

Wind In His Hair: Dance with Wolves! I am Wind In His Hair. Do you see that I am your friend? Can you see that you will always be my friend?

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Tim Story

Country

USA | Germany | UK

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Doug Jones, Laurence Fishburne, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Beau Garrett, Vanessa Minnillo, Andre Braugher, Stan Lee, Brian Posehn, Debbie Timuss, Moneca Delain, Kevin McNulty, Crystal Lowe

Storyline

As the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones, voiced by Laurence Fishburne) races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue (Jessica Alba), Johnny (Chris Evans) and Ben (Michael Chiklis) must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon), before all hope is lost.

Opinion

I did have really low expectations for this one, and it didn't disappoint me. While a little improvement on its predecessor, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer still is mediocre, dull, and a shame to the fantastic comic books.

As if letting Mark Frost write the script for the first film was a good idea, they called him back, and along with director Tim Story and screenwriter Don Payne, he did a bad job.
Although I like films to be faithful to the comic books, I tolerate some little differences or omissions. Unfortunately, in here, it is a huge problem. There is no backstory of Galactus - he is not even a character - and his servant, the Silver Surfer, has the power to destroy him. How ridiculous is that? Also, the Silver Surfer goes around resurrecting people. There is no explanation to the power swapping, the Torch can just swap powers with the others by touching them, and how the Torch manages to absorb everyone's powers, leaving them powerless, is a mystery.
And the villain for god's sake! Couldn't they come up with some other bad guy? Why did they have to bring Julian McMahon's awful Dr. Doom back?

Nothing exciting happens aside from the chase scene involving the Human Torch and the Silver Surfer. The visual effects suck. Mr. Fantastic looks fake most of the time.

The acting is bad as the rest. Ioan Gruffudd looks like some guy from a soap opera, and his accent still is bad. Jessica Alba is painful to watch. She is nothing more than a pretty face. And the chemistry between the two of them is inexistent. Chris Evans steals the show as Johnny Storm having the fortune to play the only character that evolves during the film. Michael Chiklis did a better job the first time. Julian McMahon is ok. Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburne do a good job as Silver Surfer's body and voice.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Genre

Action | Adventure

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, Igor Jijikine, Joel Stoffer, Neil Flynn, Alan Dale, Andrew Divoff, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Dimitri Diatchenko, Ernie Reyes Jr.

Storyline

After being forced to leave Marshall College under dubious circumstances, Indy (Harrison Ford) joins forces with rebellious, young Mutt (Shia LaBeouf), who believes he knows the whereabouts of one of the most spectacular archeological finds in history, the Crystal Skull of Akator, a legendary object of fascination, superstition and fear.

Opinion

19 years after "The Last Crusade", Steven Spielberg and George Lucas come back with a new film of the franchise, starring an old Indy, still more pleasant than a 007 Agent sipping Martinis for the whole time.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a solid adventure film, entertaining, and with some fun, that still delivers the thrills, and does not damage the reputation of the Saga.

Written by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson, the story is pretty good, but there's a problem with the characters. First of all, Oxley, Indy's friend. He looks like he's on acid, but then he heals, unfortunately it happens only at the end of the film.

Now the villains. Cate Blanchett's Irina Spalko is not that intimidating, and the Russians are out of place. I'd rather have the Nazis back.

The action is good, and the jungle chase is ok. Only there are way too many, and implausible stunts - not a Bruce Lee's film, right? -, there's an overuse of CGI, and a pointless nuclear explosion scene.

The acting is ok. Harrison Ford still is the same, and old charismatic Indiana Jones. Shia LaBeouf is quite good to be honest, and not much annoying. Karen Allen is back as Marion, but she smiles and laughs for most of the time. John Hurt does what he can with his annoying character. Cate Blanchett is definitely wasted to play the "villain".

Quotes

Mutt Williams: You know, for an old man you ain't bad in a fight.

Indiana Jones: Thanks.

Mutt Williams: What are you, like, 80?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Marc Webb

Country

USA

Cast

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Marton Csokas, Chris Cooper, B.K. Novak, Denis Leary, Michael Massee, Aidy Bryant, Stan Lee

Storyline

As Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) finally managed to balance life as both Spider-Man and Peter, a new villain treats the city: socially awkward Oscorp worker Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), who is obsessed with Spider-Man, ends up becoming the hero's new foe.

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

If J.K. Simmons was still playing J. Jonah Jameson he'd say, "Damnit! This thing is dragging on and on!".

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is just not that amazing, and focuses more on the emotional element, developing the relationship with Gwen - it almost feels like watching Twilight -, and leaving thrills and action behind.

However, the main problem of the film is the same that occurred with Spider-Man 3: the writing. There are way too many awful things going on, and two and a half hours - which feels like eternity - are just not enough to stand the whole thing.
Let's start with Electro. He is not the same guy from the comic books. This Max Dillon is naive, shy, has low self-esteem, is ignored by everybody, and people barely remember his name, in other words, he is a loser. And he works for Oscorp. Turning into Electro after falling into a tub of electric eels, he heads to Time Square, where he sees his face all over the screens, and he suddenly become a badass because the whole city is watching him. He doesn't really have any motivation to do what he does. Not to mention his costume, that looks like it has been stolen from the Fantastic Four's trash.
Harry Osborn and Rhino are two wasted, cheesy characters. Also, the 3-minute grainy video in which Peter's dad basically tells us "Oscorp is evil" is pointless, because at that point you are already aware of that, and if you don't, well, you probably think Spider-Man is the villain.

While flying sequences are great, the fights are not epic, totally forgettable, and some of them even boring - the one with the Russian for instance -, and the fight between Spider-Man and Electro is just bad. It's not all of course. Why did Electro and Harry Osborn/Goblin attack Spider-Man separately? Why didn't the police show up near the power plant? Why didn't Gwen bleed when she hit the floor? Why did Harry kill Gwen? Wasn't Norman supposed to? And more important, is Harry normal or still "infected"?

At least the acting is still good. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are good as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy, and their chemistry is amazing. Though his character development is bad, Dane DeHaan delivers a good performance as Harry Osborn, and same does Jamie Foxx as Electro.

Quotes

Gwen Stacy: It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days where you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope. Keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer. My wish for you is to become hope; people need that. And even if we fail, what better way is there to live? As we look around here today, at all of the people who helped make us who we are, I know it feels like we're saying goodbye, but we will carry a piece of each other into everything that we do next, to remind us of who we are, and of who we're meant to be.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Genre

Action | Adventure

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliott, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, Michael Byrne, Kevork Malikyan, River Phoenix, Alex Hyde-White, Robert Eddison, Vernon Dobtcheff, Alexei Sayle, Michael Sheard

Storyline

When Dr. Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, an art collector (Julian Glover) approaches Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) with a proposition to continue his father's search. Once accepted, Jones must find his father and stop the Nazis.

Opinion

Definitely the best Indiana Jones film yet, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is more comedic, emotional, and spiritual than its predecessors, still plenty of superb action and thrills.

The great story, written by George Lucas and Menno Meyjes, begins with an introduction to a younger Indy, that finally gives the audience something about his background, such as the roots of his taste for adventure, the determination to put artifacts into museums, his fear of snakes, and, less important, how he got the chin scar. Back in 1938, the story is related to God in a beautiful way, without disrespecting religion - thing that happened in The Temple of Doom.

The introduction of Indy's eccentric father, played by Sean Connery - couldn't really get any better than that -, is one of the highlights of the film. Most of the fun is delivered by him, and along with Ford, he also provides a great father-son dynamic.

Having most of the action of the film, Harrison Ford is amazing and charismatic as Indy. New entry Sean Connery does a wonderful job in portraying Indy's father, making a perfect duo with Ford. John Rhys-Davies is back as Sallah, and he is wonderful as ever, so is Denholm Elliott, returned as Marcus Brody. Alison Doody does a good job with her interesting character. Julian Glover is probably the best of Indy's villains so far.

Quotes

Fedora: You lost today, kid. But that doesn't mean you have to like it.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Marc Webb

Country

USA

Cast

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Irrfan Khan, Chris Zylka, Campbell Scott, Embeth Davidtz, Leif Gantvoort, Hannah Marks, Kelsey Chow, C. Thomas Howell, Stan Lee, Michael Massee, Michael Papajohn, Max Charles, Jake Keiffer

Storyline

Like most teenagers, Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents' disappearance, leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father's former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors' alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Opinion

The Sam Raimi's trilogy, though the awful ending chapter, will always stand out among the superhero films, and definitely did not need to be rebooted. Still Marc Webb succeeded in making a quite amazing interpretation of Spider-Man's origins - and a more loyal film towards the comic books.

The Amazing Spider-Man is surprisingly engaging, plenty of action, thrill, and genuine emotions, with a more effective drama than ever.

Marc Webb faithfully manages to bring to the screen Peter Parker's humanity, creating a more credible superhero, that must defeat a villain, and on the other hand take care of his worried aunt.
In this new film, Parker isn't accidentally bitten by the spider but he is kinda looking forward to, and there's a new way his powers work. He now needs a device to shoot a web perfectly, and still causing lot of damage, he looks more credible. Some parts - like when Peter is working on his costume - are way too rushed though. The villain is good, but Connors becoming evil because he became Lizard is a little forced.

Andrew Garfield is indeed the best choice to play Peter Parker, giving him that humour - and better look - Maguire's didn't have. Emma Stone is amazing as Gwen Stacy, way better than Dunst, and her character as well is better than MJ, being more than just a love interest. The chemistry between Garfield and Stone is amazing.

Quotes

Ben Parker: Peter? I know things have been difficult lately and I'm sorry about that. I think I know what you're feeling. Ever since you were a little boy, you've been living with so many unresolved things. Well, take it from an old man. Those things send us down a road... they make us who we are. And if anyone's destined for greatness, it's you, son. You owe the world your gifts. You just have to figure out how to use them and know that wherever they take you, we'll always be here. So, come on home, Peter. You're my hero... and I love you!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

Genre

Action | Adventure

Director

Steven Spielberg

Country

USA

Cast

Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, David Yip, Raj Singh, D. R. Nanayakkara, Pat Roach

Storyline

After arriving in India, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is asked by a desperate village to find a mystical stone. He agrees, and stumbles upon a secret cult plotting a terrible plan in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Opinion

As a prequel, it should have some coherence with the Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I'm not quite sure that happened. I understand the absence of Willie, as is common practise to change the hero's woman in each film, but what happened to Short Round? Wasn't he Indiana's sidekick in this one? Is he dead in 1936?

Having said that, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a great, entertaining, too dark for some, adventure film, filled with thrilling scenes, nonstop action, and some fun.

Written by George Lucas, the story is good, but it also provides a negative portrayal of India and Hinduism. At least, this time, Indy has a point in the film as he manages to fulfill his mission. The character of Willie, though a little annoying, was hilarious, and you have to love Short Round.

Harrison Ford is amazing and charismatic as Jones, and gives a better performance than earlier since the character requires more humanity. Kate Capshaw struggles to get close to Allen's Marion. Jonathan Ke Quan is good as Short Round and adds something to the story. The villain, though not very interesting, is well-played by Amrish Puri.

Quotes

Short Round: I keep telling you, you listen to me more, you live longer!

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Genre

Action | Adventure

Director

Sam Raimi

Country

USA

Cast

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rosemary Harris, J.K. Simmons, James Cromwell, Theresa Russell, Dylan Baker, Bill Nunn, Elizabeth Banks, Ted Raimi, Perla Haney-Jardine, Willem Dafoe, Cliff Robertson, Elya Baskin, Mageina Tovah, Michael Papajohn, Joe Manganiello, Stan Lee

Storyline

Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has finally managed to balance life as both Spider-Man and as Mary-Jane's (Kirsten Dunst) boyfriend. But when a strange black entity from another world bonds with him and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, and revenge.

Opinion

Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time he is shineless. As happened - and will keep on happening - with other trilogies, Spider-Man 3 is a disappointing closing chapter. It is way too ambitious and doesn't accomplish anything.

First of all, the writing: there are way too many characters and even if the film was four hours long, there wouldn't be enough time for all of them. There is definitely too much going on for one sitting.

The New Goblin's aka Harry Osborn conflict with Spider-Man might be interesting, but it's just thrown into the story, and Harry's continuous attitude changes are pretty annoying. He seeks revenge for his father's 'murder' by Spider-Man, then he is Peter's best friend, then again he wants to kill him, and at the end they are friends again.

The same problem occurs with Sandman. Firstly he is made to look like a good guy, then bad, and then good again. And at the end, we don't even know what to think about him. Should we fear him, or feel sorry for him?

Let's move to Venom. He is one of Spider-Man's main enemies and my favourite villain. Also everybody loves him, and that's how he got a part in the film. Unfortunately, he has just a tiny amount of screen time, and that incredibly let me down.

Lastly, Gwen Stacy. She doesn't contribute much in the film, she only serves as a mean to separate MJ and Peter.

The musical score isn't that brilliant. Some parts are ok, but some parts are so bad to ruin the scene. Also, there is too much dancing and singing going on.

Luckily, there are still some good aspects. The action sequences are brilliantly done and visually beautiful. The CGI is fantastically used, particularly in the creation of Sandman and Venom.

The acting is quite shocking. Despite the extraordinary and hilarious performance by J.K. Simmons, which steals every scene he is in, and the quite good portrayal of Sandman by Thomas Haden Church, the rest of the cast isn't good at all.

Tobey Maguire is very disappointing. He should have worked better on the black Spider-Man, because he wasn't very good at being bad. And he did look like the retarded version of John Travolta while dancing.

I didn't think it was possible, but James Franco's performance is even worse that in the previous films. Kirsten Dunst is apparently very good at screaming, and very bad at singing. Topher Grace was just not the right person to portrait Venom.

Quotes

Peter Parker: Whatever comes our way, whatever battle we have raging inside us, we always have a choice. My friend Harry taught me that. He chose to be the best of himself. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right.

The film follows the tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)-all tied together by an original story involving a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them.

Opinion

After many - and endless - months of waiting, the film has finally been released in Italy. It wasn't as good as I was hoping, but not even as bad as many people said it was. Into the Woods is a humorous musical, a good twist on several of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, with a delightful first half, and a gloomy ending, but not a kids film.

Having not seen the stage version, I've searched the Internet to be more familiar with it, and it turned out that many changes were made in Act II. Disney has actually cut everything important and meaningful for the show, such as the death of Rapunzel, making the character completely pointless now. Furthermore, in Act II, the narrator is almost gone.

On the other hand, the costumes, Meryl Streep's makeup and the sets are great, and the singing is good - great in some cases.

Among all the performances, which are pretty good, Meryl Streep's stands out. She is wonderful as usual, and several times she induces laughs from the audience.

Quotes

Witch: You're not good, you're not bad, you're just nice. I'm not good, I'm not nice, I'm just right. I'm the witch. You're the world.

Cinderella's Prince: I was raised to be charming, not sincere.

Witch: Stay a child while you can be a child.

Rating

7.0/10

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Genre

Adventure | Drama | War

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

United States | Germany

Cast

Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent, August Diehl, Julie Dreyfus, Sylvester Groth, Jacky Ido, Denis Ménochet, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Martin Wuttke, Gedeon Burkhard, B.J. Novak, Omar Doom, Léa Seydoux, Richard Sammel, Alexander Fehling, Christian Berkel, Söhke Möhring, Samm Levine, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Rainer Bock, Bo Svenson, Enzo G. Castellari, Samuel L. Jackson, Harvey Keitel

Plot

In Nazi-occupied France, young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

Opinion

The tagline says it all: you haven't seen war until you've seen it through the eyes of Quentin Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is a brilliant, brave, exuberant, comic, dark, violent and glorious film.

Quentin Tarantino's pleasure to tell stories leads him to rewrite history, by telling the - fictional - assassination of Adolf Hitler, set in the only possible venue: a cinema.

The dialogue, the continuous tension, and the use of several languages - English, German, French and German -, on which irony is mostly based, make of this film a jewel of cinema. Also, the film is smooth and there is no heaviness resulting from its long running time.

The Spaghetti-Western score is magnificent, and the opening scene's song, The Verdict (Dopo la condanna), written by Ennio Morricone, is absolutely stunning.

The acting is pretty much great. Christoph Waltz is spectacular: he built a deep, detailed and realistic character, the kind of Nazi everyone would be afraid of. Brad Pitt's performance is not very good, and his Italian is pretty painful to be heard. August Diehl well plays the other sadistic German, very important in the final plot twist. Michael Fassbender is great as Lieutenant Archie Hicox, he has the chance to show off his almost perfect German, and he gets extra points for delivering the line, "There's a special rung in hell for people who waste good Scotch".

Quotes

Lt. Aldo Raine: You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business; we in the killin' Nazi business. And cousin, business is a-boomin'.

Bridget von Hammersmark: I know this is a silly question before I ask it, but can you Americans speak any other language besides English?

Rating

9.0/10

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