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Victory, directed by John Huston

  Victory, directed by John Huston Given the stellar cast and the name of the director, this film could be categorized as a disappointment Of course, the alternative is to see this as an opportunity to see all these super stars in action and in unusual circumstances: Michael Caine, Max von Sydow (and I am less enthusiastic about Sylvester Stallone) are in the company of Pele, Bobby Moore, Osvaldo Ardiles and other great footballers Sylvester Stallone has only impressed me in Copland. That is a film where I could see this acclaimed performer act and do it well. Otherwise, Rocky one through eleven, or whatever the final number is, together with Rambo and other action movies are proof of serious challenges for an actor who seems to talk like a red neck. In Victory, Stallone is Captain Robert Hatch, an officer of the United States Army and prisoner of war. In the Nazi camp, he tries to escape repeatedly. Michael Caine plays another captain, John Colby. He is asked by the commander of t...

Dead Calm, based on the novel by Charles Williams 9 out of 10

  Dead Calm, based on the novel by Charles Williams 9 out of 10 A different version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at: -               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEVa4_CsRStSBBDo4uJWT8BSWtTTn0N1E   and    http://realini.blogspot.ro/ Dead Calm is one of those very rare horror movies that I enjoy. It is also true that I had not known it was considered horror or else I would avoid it, given I am no fan of the genre. -            “Try to stay Calm” This is the very good tagline. And it is not impossible to follow the advice, for parts of the film were The Dead Calm of the ocean is the main personage. The cast is Outstanding: -            Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill and Billy Zane -            This is all there is...

Columbus, written and directed by Kogonada Nine out of 10

  Columbus, written and directed by Kogonada Nine out of 10 Columbus is a very beautiful, serene, rewarding, intriguing film that will not receive an Academy Award, although it would deserve one or a few. The plot does not have car chases, killers ambushing victims, spider men or cartoon characters, but the resplendent architecture, the touching characters, the atmosphere that is often Zen more than make up for what mainstream fare has these days in abundance, if not excess. The formidable, promising, very young Haley Lu Richardson has the leading role of Casey, a dedicated daughter, determined to stay in the small town of Columbus, Indiana, where she loves the glorious buildings, but would ultimately sacrifice her future if she does not move to a bigger city. She has met and talked with one of the great architects that have given this city astounding masterpieces and was encouraged to continue her studies and not abandon her education, but she is such a self-sacrificing daughter t...

Bitter Bread by Claude Spark Excellent, 8 out of 10

  Bitter Bread by Claude Spark Excellent, 8 out of 10   There is a very strong conflict between duty and family, feelings and values in this very good play set in Latin America, I guess. This is the first work dealing with politics that I read in a long time. The opposition is organized to fight the oppressive regime, which is using any means in its almost absolute power. In order to get rid of one of the leaders of a movement fighting with the government, officials accuse him of murder. He is innocent, but what does it matter when ruthless people hold the reins of power and can manipulate justice. At least up to a point. The people who govern use an appointment in an important job in the ministry of justice in order to obtain the verdict they want. The judge Huregin- who presides over the trial of the opposition leader is incorruptible and takes his job extremely seriously. I am proud to say that after many years in which we had to endure a corrupt system of justice, we now s...

Insula by Mihail Sebastian 8 out of 10

  Insula by Mihail Sebastian 8 out of 10   Mihail Sebastian is an excellent writer and this play is very good. I have read The Journal and The Star Without a Name by Sebastian and I loved them both, the journal in particular. The premise of The Island is very interesting and exotique. Somewhere in Latin America there is a kind of coup d’état or one of their frequent- some time ago-revolutions. At a train station we first meet Nadia and Bob as they are trying to get on the next train, but there are no options. The young man is a famous football player, even if the woman has never heard him, lacking any knowledge of the game. She is a painter. Manuel is the third main character who makes a flamboyant entrance in the station- -            I need to go to my important business… I am an important banker -            But there are no trains -        ...

X-Men: Days of Future Past, based on works by Stan Lee Eight out of 10

  X-Men: Days of Future Past, based on works by Stan Lee Eight out of 10 For funs of the genre this is probably as good as it gets, but the undersigned is not overwhelmed by X-Men, Spider men and other spectacular, but otherworldly creatures, which might be interesting, perhaps in some small doses, taken far and between, only as the landscape looks now, the cinemas are invaded by Avengers, Captains of Destiny, all laudable for what they might inspire in teenagers, but much too similar to cartoon characters to be a serious, exclusive nourishment for the intellectual mind. As it is, Days of Future Past offers a festival, a banquet of delights, with guests like Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence and the list is so long and prestigious as to become a futile endeavor to just write all these fantastic names here…albeit, the other side of this is that so many talented artists gather to generate a lot of fuss, but for the uninterested, casual cinephile this may l...