Film Review: This is Spinal Tap
February 22, 2007Posted by mmarvs in : Films, General
add a comment
This is Spinal Tap is a not very well-known film by Rob Reiner, who is also the writer of the script and appears in the film as Marty DiBergi, the man who interviews the band during the movie. This film is considered a Rock-umentary, and it shows us a funny point of view of rock stars when they are growing old and they are on tour away from their country.
The film is set on the American comeback tour and tells the story of the musicians and the manager of Spinal Tap, described as the “world’s loudest band”. David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) is the leader, Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest) always goes with him and he is the guitar-player. Between them appears Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), the bass player, and there are also a piano player and the drummer, who is not scared of the accidents that the other band’s drummers had in the past. Ian Faith (Tony Hendra) is the manager, the man who decides where they play and other decisions, and he is the man who tells the band all the problems that they have in their days in America. Apart from these problems a big one appears: Jeanine Pettibone (June Chadwick), who is David’s girlfriend …and that changes the rest of the tour.
The film recreates the day by day life of a heavy metal band, the rehearsals and the trips. The best scenes are the concerts, very well recreated. The film hasn’t got special effects but shows us a striking soundtrack. The clothes are a bit eccentric when they are on stage, in accordance with the dominant colours during the film, which are shiny colours. The plot is only predictable near the film end, but it’s not important in this film, a documentary with a comical point of view.
To sum up, This is Spinal Tap is a satire about the rock and roll world and is an entertaining film and you can enjoy it if you like rock music and without making a very big effort to understand the dialogues.
Javier Parra
Film Review: Schindler’s List
February 22, 2007Posted by mmarvs in : Films, General
add a comment
Schindler’s List is one of the best films ever done by Steven Spielberg. It is an amazing story about the Nazi’s holocaust, in which he mixes the anguish of Jewish people with a hopeful vision of mankind.
This is, in my opinion, the most personal and best films Spielberg has ever made, the scenes on the concentration camp, and the final sequences with Liam Neeson, together with Ralph Fiennes and the great Ben Kingsley were incredibly touching. Here, the director tried to do something more serious than what he had done before with his old movies.
The magnificent interpretations of every single actor or actress, and the fact that it was shot in black and white, made it even bigger. Many of us were moved by that girl in a red coat in the middle of the black and white screen; “there is still hope”, it meant. But the girl means also a lighthouse, not only for the Jewish, for everyone.
The soundtrack (by John Williams) is simply excellent. He’s one of the best in his job and Steven knew it. In this film Steven used his fame as a “commercial” director to remind the following generations who were not alive while World War II that such an incredible genocide took place in Europe not so long ago.
If a film that lasts an eternity, shot in black and white, and with one of the most well-known plots can hold your attention for 185 minutes, it has to be a great film.You can like or dislike it, but nobody can say this is a bad film; no one at all.
Alfonso García Moreno
A TV Series Review: Prison Break
February 19, 2007Posted by mmarvs in : General
add a comment
In the U.S.A., a man has been sentenced to death penalty for a crime he didn´t commit. His name: Lincoln Burrows. However, there is still light at the end of the tunnel: Michael Scofield is an structural engineer who helped and designed a lot of different buildings and facilities; one of them is Fox River, a maximun security prison where Lincoln, his brother, is being sent. He is all he´s got in life; living around without any parents or relatives, just with Lincoln, has created an unbreakable link between them, and Michael is going to do everything he can to save it.
After weeks of planning, and with a huge encrypted map of the prison tattooed on his back, Michael attempts to rob a bank, gets caught and sent to prison with his brother. From then on, his master plan starts developing, but he´ll find a lot of stones in his path: killers, robbers, rapers… There´s even an “internal mafia” in which he´ll have to participate to gain the respect of John Abruzzi, a gangster that will help them with resources, money and a plane waiting for them the day of the great escape. Will he be able to succed in his plan?
It had been some time since I saw a TV series that really kept me telly addict for hours and hours, watching even six episodes a day; it would be hard to define Prison Break in one word, but I think the more accurate would be “brilliant”. The ambience inside the prison is not what you expect: instead of the typical fights and stupid clashes you find another world, an organised “society” (from recent prisoners to the highest echelons of mafia gangsters), incredibly well described; the photography is just astonishing, as well as the OST (Original Soundtrack), the actors are realistic and the plot deserves more than a few words: the stories are linked really well, the series is totally unpredictable, and you´ll always be looking forward to watching the next episode.
To sum up, Prison Break is one of the best series available in our TVs or PCs in a long time.
Rating: 4.5/5
Juan
