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juan-linareslopez
Reviews
The Ninth Gate (1999)
No 'Rosemary's baby'... but by no means to be tossed away.
A movie based on (half) "The club Dumas" by Arturo Perez-Reverte seems like a good idea... and it is.
The ninth gate introduction cards are Roman Polanski, the man who taught America the smart approach to horror movies with "Rosemary's baby"; Johnny Depp, who is known for his wonderful performances when it comes to weird characters; and, for those who are into Spanish literature, Arturo Perez-Reverte, who is regarded as one of the best Spanish writers of our time and whose novel served as inspiration.
Unfortunately for the movie, Polanski overdid the supernatural approach... leaving us with lots of questions without an answer, a couple of answers without question and an ending that doesn't seem to please anybody in the beginning. Depp delivers a convincing Corso, but something is missing from his performance that makes him look flat: this may work for the Corso portrayed in the novel, but for a supernatural script, a little bit more character would have been in order.
On the bright side, I think this was masterfully directed with a pretty good cinematography, good pace and an excellent plot overall. Even the ending becomes significant once the movie is seen a couple of times. I believe the main point of the movie would be to illustrate the consequences of knowledge, and how we all have a choice when it comes to it. It is a really smart movie, when seen on that side.
Despite it's flaws, it's a really good try and a movie definitely worth watching more than once.
Hellsing Ultimate (2006)
And yet another good one!
After been waiting for a long time, finally Hellsing Ultimate 3 is here! This episode starts with the aftermath of the attack that took much of episode's 2 time and then follows Alucard, Victoria and a new guy on their trans-continental quest to find out more about the Millennium organization (with help from the less expected source, I must say...) The CGI-loaded animation is still the same, and I've seen people who have loved it and people who have hated it, so for this one, either you love it or hate it, your feelings will be the same. The soundtrack keeps going with it's epic-oriented tracks that add a very good atmosphere to the OVA.
This episode is blood/gore loaded, much more than the previous two, so if you felt uneasy about that, you probably don't want to see this one. This episode is violence-packed with a more conspiracy-like plot and a really good duel (that didn't show up in the original series) where Alucard has the opportunity to show his powers once more. There are also a couple of funny scenes to break the tension of the moment.
At the ending credits we get an animated teaser of the past of Alucard and Walter that is told in Hellsing: The Dawn.