Reviews

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com David Fincher’s new film, Mank, is coming soon on Netflix, released six years after his latest installment, Gone Girl. Therefore, this week I’m reviewing five of Fincher’s movies. Se7en was the first one, and now it’s time for one of the most culturally impactful films of the 90s, Fight Club. This is another rewatch of another filmmaking classic, one that I was never able to absolutely adore like most people. When this movie came out in 1999, critics were extremely divided, and the film failed at the box office. With time, it gained a cult following through home media, but it’s still considered a very controversial piece of cinema. So, nothing new, having in mind Fincher is at the helm. Despite this being my third or fourth time experiencing this story, I never really changed my opinion...

In my top 5 of all time favourite movies. Great story line and a movie you can watch over and over again.

When teenage "Seita" finds himself responsible for his four year old sister "Setsuko" after a WWII bombing raid reduced their home to rubble and separated them from their mother, he finds quickly that survival is going to be very difficult. Initially, they can seek refuge with their aunt but that doesn't quite work out and despite the risks he decides that the pair are better off trying to make it on their own. With much of their wooden-structured surroundings now splinters and with the population largely forced into a degree of existence-based introspection, it's going to prove tough for him to keep them both safe. What, realistically, are their chances? This is certainly one of the most touching stories I've ever seen committed to film and the style of the sympathetically-paced animation using often quite faded and muted tones helps convey a message of hope in the face of what has to...

Grave of the Fireflies masterfully portrays the human cost of war through a deeply emotional and well-structured narrative. With powerful animation, moving performances, and a haunting soundtrack, the film delivers a timeless and heart-wrenching message about loss, survival, and humanity. It's a must-watch war film that emphasizes empathy over action. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com) and (English version : uwiepuspita.com)

This was the first animated movie that made me cry as an adult. It still does. Two children are left as orphans in World War 2 and have to survive. Such a basic premise, but this shows intimately what the effects of war are on children (a topic not covered by other movies). And as it's about children, it has more of an emotional impact. Described as one of the greatest war movies of all time by Roger Ebert, the work of art will impact you like no other anime. Its interesting to note that this was released originally with My Neighbour Totoro. Both are films about childhood. But where Totoro is about innocence maintained and the joy of childhood, Fireflies is innocence lost, a light dimmed after a short period.

The terrible story of two orphaned Japanese kids during the ending of WWII. Incredibly well told and totally moving, without using clichés. A must seen in the anime arena.

Overall, I give this four stars. Not five, because some of the changes really bug me, as a long-time Tolkien fan, but a solid four. The casting, to start, was brilliant. Sean Astin was the absolute perfect choice for Sam, and did a remarkable job bringing that character to life for us. He really WAS Sam, in this role, in a very deep way. I always liked his acting, but here, he showed how talented he actually is. Just amazing. Elijah Wood gives a great performance of Frodo, and those expressive eyes of his really add a lot of depth to the emotions the character goes through, which are such an important part of the story. Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan both did great work, for our other two main hobbits. Their smiles, their singing; just every aspect of these characters was so real. Viggo Mortensen, of course, was excellent. He's always good, and though I never would have...

Tolkien’s adventure/fantasy LOOKS and SOUNDS fabulous, but is not without flaws. RELEASED 2001 and directed by Peter Jackson, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” adapts the first part of JRR Tolkien’s popular fantasy trilogy about adventures on Middle-Earth. The story starts in the homeland of the Hobbits (innocent, diminutive humanoids) where Frodo (Elijah Wood) is instructed by the noble wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to quickly leave the Shire with the powerful One Ring in his possession. Gandalf and Frodo are later accompanied by seven others, the titular ‘Fellowship of the Ring,’ to take the ring to the only place it can be destroyed, the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor. The rest of the main cast include Sean Astin (Sam), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Sean Bean (Boromir), Christopher Lee (Saruman), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) and Hugo Weaving...

An epic movie if I ever saw one. Captivating and just plain fun to watch. This movie is, indeed, art.

Brooking no argument, history should quickly regard Peter Jackson’s The Fellowship Of The Ring as the first instalment of the best fantasy epic in motion picture history. This statement is worthy of investigation for several reasons. Fellowship is indeed merely an opening salvo, and even after three hours in the dark you will likely exit the cinema ravenous with anticipation for the further two parts of the trilogy. Fellowship is also unabashedly rooted in the fantasy genre. Not to be confused with the techno-cool of good science fiction, nor even the cutesy charm of family fare like Harry Potter, the territory of Tolkien is clearly marked by goo and goblins and gobbledegook. Persons with an aversion to lines such as, “To the bridge of Khazad-dûm!” are as well to stay within the Shire-like comforts of home (their loss). With those caveats in place, it bears repeating: fantasy does not...

I must begin by saying I am a bit "attention deficit" and that I never thought I would like subtitles, but this film flows through its long length with such adventure that I don't see how anyone can keep from being entranced with every second. And it takes a lot to hold my interest. In case you haven't heard, this "magnificent seven samurai" so to speak, are enlisted one by one to aid a village beset by 40 bandits. What is often lost is that the story is really "Four villagers". Two are village elders (although not as old as the "grandpa" character they look to for advice). One, Manzo, represents the conservative element that in our era might be called "Republican", and the other, Mosuke, represents the liberal or "Democrat" policy. The other two are Yohei, a man full of fear who thinks Manzo's policies will protect him; and Rikiki, the boldest villager who is more in tune with Mosuke....

Maybe a little overrated, but there's no doubt that it's good. Well, I have to start this text with a note that I believe is relevant to understand what I'm going to write: this was the first Japanese film that I remember seeing. I might even be forgetting something I've seen before, but I don't think so. Therefore, I'm not a good connoisseur of Japanese cinema, so I don't want my opinion to be taken with any authority that I don't crave. I know there are people who want that. I do not. I speak, as in any of my reviews, only through my mouth, from the height of my meager wisdom, without pretensions. I may be right about some things, wrong about others, but that's the most normal thing in the world. I decided to see this film because it was highly recommended and well regarded… everyone said it was a very good film, so I decided to see it for myself. I just finished it, and read a...

At the top of my favorite films ever. Every time I watch it is see something new. Bandits steal peasants rice. Peasants hire ronin samurai to defend them. Great plot, pace and acting. Akira Kurasawa's best...perhaps.

Fantastic movie with a great touch of reality.

Martin Scorsese was at his best when he made GoodFellas. It received five Oscar nominations and a winner for Best Supporting Actor for Joe Pesci. It's speechless for how great this movie was and it still is. GoodFellas is a fantastic crime drama and it's impeccably done throughout. The story is based on a true story ad it's taken place from 1955 to 1980. It tells a story about Henry Hill played by Ray Liotta narrating about his life as a gangster. Lorraine Bracco sometimes narrates as Karen Hill, aside from that, Ray Liotta does all the narrating. It's in the book. It's in the non-fiction book by Nicholas Pileggi called Wiseguy. Of course, everyone knows the scene where Henry tells Tommy that he is funny cause the way he tells stories and Tommy says "What do you mean I'm funny?" "Funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?" This is a famous scene for Joe Pesci as his acting is...

Ray Liotta is superb here as "Henry Hill", a man whom ever since he was young has been captivated by the mob. He starts off as a runner and before too long has ingratiated himself with the local fraternity lead by "Paulie" (Paul Sorvino) and is best mates with fellow hoods, the enigmatic and devious "Jimmy" (Robert De Niro) and the excellently vile "Tommy" (Joe Pesci). They put together an audacious robbery at JFK and are soon the talk of the town, but the latter in the trio is a bit of a live-wire and when he goes just a bit too far one night, the three of them find that their really quite idyllic lives of extortion and larceny start to go awry - and it's their own who are on their tracks. Scorsese takes him time with this story: the development of the characters - their personalities, trust, inter-reliance, sometimes divided, fractured, loyalties and ruthlessness and are built up in a...

Martin Scorsese (director) always loves details in crime films, but he is not primarily interested in the crime itself. That is why his films are always produced with details that you may see as unimportant to you, especially if you want to see the movie for the purpose of seeing scenes of theft, murder, and so on, but you see the opposite. Somewhat other details are visible on the scene mostly The film talks about liberation, stereotypes, and entering a new world for humanity. It was Ray Liotta (Henry). He wanted, as I said, to break free from stereotypes and enter the world of gangs. Martin Scorsese (the director) filmed this unfamiliar life and directed it in the form of a film similar to documentaries because he filmed it as if it were a real, realistic life. That is why the presence of Voice Over was important in order to give you the feeling that there is a person sitting next to...

In a world that's powered by violence, on the streets where the violent have power, a new generation carries on an old tradition. Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas is without question one of the finest gangster movies ever made, a benchmark even. It’s that rare occasion for a genre film of this type where everything artistically comes together as one. Direction, script, editing, photography, driving soundtrack and crucially an ensemble cast firing on all cylinders. It’s grade “A” film making that marked a return to form for Scorsese whilst simultaneously showing the director at the summit of his directing abilities. The story itself, based on Nicholas Pileggi’s non-fiction book Wiseguy, pulls absolutely no punches in its stark realisation of the Mafia lifestyle. It’s often brutal, yet funny, unflinching yet stylish, but ultimately from first frame to last it holds the attention, toying with...

"Forrest" (Tom Hanks) isn't the sharpest tool in the box, but he has an heart of gold and an unparalleled sense of human decency. These laudable characteristics are the result of an upbringing by his mother (Sally Field) which has seen him grow from the bullied young boy from Alabama who discovers that he can run a little faster than your average bear, to a sort of national hero. We learn all this from him as he sits at a bus stop chatting to an initially disinterested nurse, and then to a collection of fellow travellers who learn of his drafting to Vietnam. That's where he meets "Lt. Dan" (Gary Sinese) and his new best friend "Bubba" (Mykelti Williamson) and where his innate sense of what's right saves lives and earns him the plaudits of a grateful nation (and gets his butt-ox on television too!). His army days taught him much, but nothing so useful as a skill at table tennis. Soon on...

This is the best movie ever!