Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Genre

Drama | History | War

Director

Terry George

Country

UK | Italy | South Africa

Cast

Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Nick Nolte, Joaquin Phoenix, Fana Mokoena, Cara Seymour, Jean Reno, Tony Kgoroge, Desmond Dube, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Leleti Khumalo, Antonio Lyons

Storyline

During the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), an ordinary man, summons extraordinary courage to save the lives of over a thousand helpless refugees, by granting them shelter in the hotel he manages.

Opinion

To tell a historical event is never easy, figure an event like this one, when in just three months about a million people were brutally murdered. But Terry George succeeded, mainly thank to a stratospheric Don Cheadle. 

Hard to be watched, but necessary to open our eyes, Hotel Rwanda is a poignant, heartfelt tale about a massacre, and a genuine hero.

The film does not sweeten the situation nor makes a saint out of the main character, but simply tells the story that our consciousness and our media have canceled because apparently not interesting enough to be remembered, as well as not important enough to do something back then.

The representation of the fighting is so disturbingly realistic that fills the film with drama and suspense until the very end.

Also, the film has several powerful, and touching scenes, during which holding back tears will be impossible. Just think of when Pat Archer reports the last words of the orphan (Please don't let them kill me, I promise I won't be Tutsi anymore) slain by the Hutus, or when the white people are being evacuated and they are told Rwandan children aren't allowed on the bus, or when they drive over the bodies.

Don Cheadle impressively carries the entire film, delivering a terrific performance as Paul Rusesabagina, the brave man who stood to do the right thing, and did something while the rest of the world looked away.

Quotes

Paul Rusesabagina: I am glad that you have shot this footage and that the world will see it. It is the only way we have a chance that people might intervene.

Jack: Yeah and if no one intervenes, is it still a good thing to show?

Paul Rusesabagina: How can they not intervene when they witness such atrocities?

Jack: I think if people see this footage they'll say, "oh my God that's horrible," and then go on eating their dinners.

Speak (2004)

Genre

Drama

Director

Jessica Sharzer

Country

USA

Cast

Kristen Stewart, Michael Angarano, Robert John Burke, Hallee Hirsh, Eric Lively, Elizabeth Perkins, D. B. Sweeney, Steve Zahn, Allison Siko, Laurie Halse Anderson, Leslie Lyles

Storyline

After a blurred trauma over the summer, Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart) enters high school a selective mute. Struggling with school, friends, and family, she tells the dark tale of her experiences, and why she has chosen not to speak.

Opinion

After finding out Kristen Stewart can actually act, I was curious to see how she was before the Twilight Era, so I gave this film a try. I ensure you they - both the film and Stewart's performance - are worth your time.

A little too slow at times, Speak is a different kind of teen movie that delivers a great message, and deals with such a serious subject matter - rape - in an unusual way.

Based on Laurie Halse Anderson's novel of the same name, this film's story is very simple, so simple that the trauma is completely predictable, therefore there are no surprises to come. However, the film finds part of its strength in its simplicity, which is full of expressiveness, and in the realistic story. Also, for once, the voiceover is appropriate and brings us inside the head of the fragile, and interrupted girl played by Stewart.

Jessica Sharzer does a great job both writing and directing this film: the camera work is good, the flashbacks work fine, and the key moments are not over dramatized.

This film also finds its strength in Kristen Stewart's leading performance. She gives a stunning, raw, and honest performance in the role of Melinda, the traumatized girl dealing with her rape. Part of the merits goes to the character whose apathetic expression very simplified Stewart's job. Standing out from the crowd is also Steve Zahn in the role of the Art teacher.

If you have the chance to watch this, please do, you won't regret it. 

Quotes

Melinda Sordino: All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. No one really cares what you have to say.

The Punisher (2004)

Genre

Action | Crime | Drama

Director

Jonathan Hensleigh

Country

USA | Germany

Cast

Thomas Jane, John Travolta, Will Patton, Roy Scheider, Laura Harring, Ben Foster, Rebecca Romijn, John Pinette, Samantha Mathis, Marcus Johns, Russell Andrews, James Carpinello, Eddie Jemison, Eduardo Yáñez, Omar Avila, Kevin Nash, Mark Collie, Veryl Jones, Tom Nowicki, Hank Stone

Storyline

On his final assignment, FBI agent Frank Castle (Thomas Jane) plays his undercover role perfectly, but the operation spins out of control and a young man, Bobby Saint (James Carpinello), is inadvertently killed. Holding Castle responsible for the death of his son, Howard Saint (John Travolta) butchers Frank's family during a reunion and leaves him for dead. But Castle survives and set out to avenge his family, becomes a judge, jury and executioner known as "The Punisher". 

Opinion

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

What a shock! As a fan of the Punisher I've been completely shocked by how bad they made this film. If Batman Begins is the perfect comic book character adaptation, The Punisher is the perfect example of what not to do, and how to ruin a character. 

Besides from being extremely violent - I won't complain about it since it's what someone would expect from a film about Frank Castle - the film is tedious, and so painful to watch I had to pause several times to recover from its awfulness.

The script is goddamn awful. First let's talk about the back story, shall we? In the comic book, Frank Castle, his wife, and his sons are having a walk in Central Park, New York, when they witness a Mafia settling of score. In the film, the son of a criminal gets killed, and when Castle is on vacation his whole family is murdered. What is the point in changing the story? We don't even get to know all those characters, so we don't feel anything for them when they die - which is actually what happened for Frank as well, since he doesn't look in much pain or suffering.

Two hours and they don't even explain how a criminal found all those information about an FBI agent. And why does he retire? He won't get any pension so he will have to find another job.

The Russian. He is basically a giant in a red and white shirt, who, like regular people, knocks on the door of the person he has to kill. Not to mention the fact that Frank doesn't even look out the peep-hole. 

I thought it was a film about the Punisher, but it turned out to be the Wolverine 2.0. Yes, the Wolverine, because bullets can't stop him, and when wounded, he heals real fast.

Also since when blackmailing someone because they're gay is cool? And what about the singing hitman from Memphis? The best hitman, a professional, sings Frank a song about his death, and the one who actually gets kills is the hitman himself.

And at last, the hot, lonely woman who falls in love with the guy at first sight, and the guy who goes through torture because Frank is part of the family, but they have barely talked.

Oops, I almost forgot the villain. He kills everyone, his wife, his best friend, Castle's whole family, but he fails at killing the only person he was supposed to kill.

The dialogue is terrible, the music is awful, and wasting two hours waiting for a thrilling action scene that will never happen is just not worth it. 

The acting is painful. They are all equally bad, delivering wooden performances a tree would be jealous of. John Travolta isn't convincing at all as the villain, and the only good acting that comes from him is in one of the latest scenes, when he dies.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Genre

Action | Adventure

Director

Sam Raimi

Country

USA

Cast

Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Alfred Molina, Rosemary Harris, J.K.Simmons, Donna Murphy, Daniel Gillies, Dylan Baker, Willem Dafoe, Mageina Tovah, Stan Lee, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Deschanel, Daniel Dae Kim, Vanessa Ferlito, Gregg Edelman, John Landis, Phil LaMarr

Plot

It's been two years since Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) transformed into Spider-Man, and he is still struggling to balance life perfectly. As if his personal problems weren't enough, a new enemy is in town: Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina).

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Genre

Action | Crime | Thriller

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Country

USA

Cast

Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks, Bo Svenson, Jeannie Epper, Samuel L. Jackson, Larry Bishop, Sid Haig, Perla Haney-Jardine, Helen Kim, Chris Nelson, Laura Cayouette, Clark Middleton, Stephanie L. Moore, Lawrence Bender

Plot

The Bride (Uma Thurman) continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill (David Carradine), the reclusive bouncer Budd (Michael Madsen) and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle (Daryl Hannah).

Opinion

I thought splitting Quentin Tarantino's epic film into two parts was a shame, but I am glad it happened because the two episodes are very different even though the stories are tied together.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 is astonishing, and, although it is not filled with action, it still is enjoyable and entertaining. 

The film cleverly alternates between funny moments, such as the Bride's training with the Cantonese Martial Arts Master, and dramatic moments, such as memories, in black and white. 

Those who had complained about the lack of witty dialogue in the first episode will be happy to know that Quentin Tarantino once again demonstrates a mastery of dialogue: it is the real essence of the film - the scene in which Bill is speaking with the Bride while he makes a sandwich and Bill's final monologue are unforgettable. 

The acting is good. Uma Thurman really fits in with her character, and Daryl Hannah is dazzling. However, David Carradine is the real deal: he is mesmerizing as Bill and he totally steal the show.

Quotes

Bill: As you know, I'm quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology... The mythology is not only great, it's unique.

[...] Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman. Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red "S", that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears - the glasses, the business suit - that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent. He's weak... he's unsure of himself... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race. Sorta like Beatrix Kiddo and Mrs. Tommy Plimpton.

The Bride: Ah-so. The point emerges.

Bill: You would've worn the costume of Arlene Plimpton. But you were born Beatrix Kiddo. And every morning when you woke up, you'd still be Beatrix Kiddo. 

The Bride: Are you calling me a superhero?

Bill: I'm calling you a killer. A natural born killer. You always have been, and you always will be. Moving to El Paso, working in a used record store, goin' to the movies with Tommy, clipping coupons. That's you, trying to disguise yourself as a worker bee. That's you tryin' to blend in with the hive. But you're not a worker bee. You're a renegade killer bee. And no matter how much beer you drank or barbecue you ate or how fat your ass got, nothing in the world would ever change that.

The Passion of the Christ (2004)

Genre

Drama

Director

Mel Gibson

Country

USA

Cast

Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Monica Bellucci, Hristo Zhivkov, Francesco De Vito, Luca Lionello, Hristo Shopov, Rosalinda Celentano, Claudia Gerini, Fabio Sartor, Luca De Dominicis, Mattia Sbragia, Chokri Ben Zagden, Toni Bertorelli, Jarreth Merz, Sergio Rubini, Francesco Cabras, Giovanni Capalbo, Roberto Bestazoni, Sabrina Impacciatore, Pietro Sarubbi, Matt Patresi, Emilio De Marchi, Roberto Visconti, Lello Giulivo

Plot

The film is a depiction of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth (Jim Caviezel), which opens with his betrayal by Judas (Luca Lionello), followed by his condemnation by the Pharisees and his appearance before Pontius Pilate (Hristo Shopov).

Opinion

Director Mel Gibson said, "This is a movie about love, hope, faith and forgiveness." I'd rather say The Passion of the Christ is an extremely violent, sadistic and bloody film, with graphic details of Jesus' torture, which obscures whatever message the film is trying to deliver. Furthermore, if I were a Christian, I'd feel offended - wounded maybe - by such a superficial transposition, and historical and biblical inaccuracy.

Are the Aramaic, Latin and Hebrew languages supposed to make the viewer feel closer to Christ? Because it didn't really work for me.

Director of photography Caleb Deschanel did a good job, the cinematography is wonderful indeed, but the Italian city of Matera - because the film wasn't even shoot in Jerusalem - did most of the work.

Now comes the best part of the film: the acting. Jim Caviezel's performance is powerful as Jesus, Maia Morgenstern is great as Mary, and Hristo Shopov is fantastic as Pontius Pilate.

Quotes

Jesus: Forgive them, Father. They know not what they do.

Rating

4.0/10

Before Sunset (2004)

Genre

Drama | Romance

Director

Richard Linklater

Country

United States

Cast

Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Louise Lemoine, Rodolphe Pauly, Mariane Plasteig, Diablo, Denis Evrard, Albert Delpy, Marie Pillet

Plot

Nine years after Vienna, Jesse (Ethan Hawke) is in Paris promoting his best selling book, This Time, inspired by that night. As the media scrum at the bookstore nears its conclusion, Jesse spots Celine (Julie Delpy) in the crowd, she who only found out about the book when she earlier saw his photograph promoting this public appearance. Much like their previous encounter, Jesse and Celine, who is now an environmental activist, decide to spend time together until he is supposed to catch his flight back to New York, this time only being about an hour.

Opinion

Before Sunset is fantastic and delightful. I enjoyed every single second of it, and I liked this one even more than the original. Making a sequel to Before Sunrise was undeniably a hard thing to do, but Richard Linklater did brilliantly. This gem of him shows how to make a film about feelings, mostly love, without slipping on the soap opera drama. The dialogues, once again, are just brilliant.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have grown with their characters, and their performances are wonderful once again.

Quotes

Celine: Even being alone it's better than sitting next to your lover and feeling lonely.

Jesse: I feel like if someone were to touch me, I'd dissolve into molecules.

Celine: There are so many things I want to do, but I end up doing not much.

Celine: Let me sing you a waltz / Out of nowhere, out of my thoughts / Let me sing you a waltz / About this one night stand / You were, for me, that night / Everything I always dreamt of in life / But now you're gone / You are far gone / All the way to your island of rain / It was for you just a one night thing / But you were much more to me, just so you know / I don't care what they say / I know what you meant for me that day / I just want another try, I just want another night / Even if it doesn't seem quite right / You meant for me much more than anyone I've met before / One single night with you, little Jesse, is worth a thousand with anybody / I have no bitterness, my sweet / I'll never forget this one night thing / Even tomorrow in other arms, my heart will stay yours until I die / Let me sing you a waltz / Out of nowhere, out of my blues / Let me sing you a waltz / About this lovely one night stand

Rating

9.5/10

The Butterfly Effect (2004)

Genre

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Directors

Eric Bress | J. Mackye Gruber

Country

United States

Cast

Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, John Patrick Amedori, Logan Lerman, Irene Gorovaia, Sarah Widdows, Elden Henson, Kevin g. Schmidt, Jake Kaese, William Lee Scott, Jesse James, Cameron Bright, Melora Walters, Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee, Kevin Durand, Callum Keith Rennie, Lorena Gale, Nathaniel DeVeaux, Tara Wilson, Jesse Hutch, Jacqueline Stewart

Plot

Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher) is about to graduate, and  it seems he has overcome amnesia he had as child: he does not have memory of all the traumatic moments of his life if not in his diaries. When Evan reads the diaries he is thrown back into the past, and he realises he's able to influence it. 

There's a problem though: changing even the smallest detail changes his past, and upon awakening the fate of Evan and his friends are completely changed. 

Opinion

Can we please go back in time and make not this film? The Butterfly Effect is pure junk. The concept of beating wings is very interesting but used improperly. In my opinion, there is way too much drama to be a Sci-Fi/Thriller film.
The acting was awful: can somebody please tell Ashton Kutcher he can't act? He is one of the less expressive actors ever.

Quotes

It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. - Chaos Theory

Rating

2.0/10

The Sea Inside (2004)

Original Title

Mar Adentro

Genre

Biography | Drama

Director

Alejandro Amenábar

Country

Spain

Cast

Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Mabel Riveira, Lola Dueñas, Celso Bugallo, Clara Segura, Joan Dalmau, Alberto Jiménez, Tamar Novas, Francesc Garrido, José María Pou, Alberto Amarilla, Andrea Occhipinti

Plot

Based on a true story, the film tells the story of Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem), a man bedridden due to an accident: a dive from a cliff that went wrong, that left him a quadriplegic. He spends his time looking out of the window and writing poetry. After 25 years of living in this way, he tries a legal battle against the Spanish government for the right of euthanasia: his only desire is to die.

Opinion

The Sea Inside is a masterpiece. Usually films about euthanasia tend to be influenced by a part of humanity (in favor or not of euthanasia), but this is not the case. This film is able to enhance and deliver the feelings of the characters involved and doesn't take sides. Loved Ramón's permanent smile and his sense of humor.
The scene that impressed me the most is a pure fantasy one: Ramón flies through the window up to the beach, on the tune of Puccini's Nessun Dorma. 

Quotes

Ramón: When you can't escape, and you constantly rely on everyone else, you learn to cry by smiling, you know?

Padre Francisco: Freedom without a life is not freedom.
Ramón: A life without freedom is not a life.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Genre

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi

Director

Michel Gondry

Country

United States

Cast

Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Jane Adams, David Cross, Deirdre O'Connell, Thomas Jay Ryan, Debbon Ayer

Plot

Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate Winslet) meet for the first time on the beach in Montauk, New York, and fall in love in a short time. After a 2 years turbulent relationship they break up.

Clementine hire a firm to erase all her memories of their relationship. Upon discovering this, Joel is devastated and decide to undergo the procedure himself.

During the procedure, that takes place while he sleeps, he regrets his decision to erase his memories, and...

Opinion

In Italian the title is pretty stupid - Se mi lasci ti cancello, meaning If you leave me I'll erase you -, and it made me believe this film was one of those typical romantic comedies everybody loves, but it wasn't. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a delightful film. This is one of those films to be watched carefully and as you progress you'll understand how it works. Ellen Kuras, director of photography, did a great job.

Quotes

Joel: Sand is overrated. It's just tiny, little rocks.

Joel: What a loss to spend that much time with someone, only to find out that she's a stranger.