The Wire

Baltimore drug scene, seen through the eyes of drug dealers, and law enforcement.

Ahead of his time! 

Nature's Great Events

Another great documentary by BBC with David Attenborough.

The greatness of nature!

WALL.E

In the distant future, a small waste collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind. WALL-E, Pixar's latest film, is about a robot named WALL-E (or 'Waste Allocation Load Lifter, Earth-Class'), who is the only thing left on earth with some sort of emotion. He meets another robot named EVE, and the trip begins.

One of the greatest achievements in cinematic history.

American Beauty

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation for his daughter's attractive friend.

 If you enjoy films that make you think, and are entertained by an excellent cast, excellent directing, and an excellent screenplay, this film should be at the top of your list.

The Shining

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future. Chilling, majestic piece of cinematic fright, this film combines all the great elements of an intellectual thriller. All in all, this movie captures your attention with its grand form and vision, ropes you in with some terror and eccentric direction, and ties you down and stabs you in the heart with its cold-eyed view of the man's mind gone overboard, creepy atmosphere and the loss of humanity.

Dan Brown vs José Rodrigues dos Santos

Many of you might ask who Jose Rodrigues dos Santos is, well, he is one of the bestselling Portuguese writers! And at the international press these two names have been seen together, for example at the Tros Nieuwsshow, a Dutch press, said the following about one of the Jose Rodrigues dos Santos books’, “Better than Dan Brown”! So in the next days I will post books of each writer, so that you can read them and take your own conclusions about them.   

                                         

                   

  

The Da Vinci Code

Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu seek to uncover a millennia-old conspiracy hidden, among other places, in the artwork of Leonardo Da Vinci. They are chased by prelates of the sinister Opus Dei, police, and a mysterious mastermind known only as "The Teacher”. The story interweaves history, fictional history, famous art, and the architecture of France and England, all while posing and solving various intricate puzzles as Langdon and Neveu solve a deathbed mystery left for them by Louvre curator Jacques Sauniere. Most challenging is that the two must not only solve the mystery, but beat Opus Dei to the information, conceal it, and then decide what to do with it.

A Fórmula de Deus (The Einstein Enigma)
Princeton, New Jersey, 1951: As a CIA operative watches from the shadows, two old men—Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion and world-renowned scientist Albert Einstein—enter Einstein’s home to speak privately about nuclear weapons and the existence of God.

Present Day Cairo, Egypt: Over lunch in the Muslim quarter, world-famous cryptanalyst Thomas Noronha is hired by a beautiful dark-haired woman, Ariana Pakravan, to decipher a cryptogram hidden in a recently discovered secret document under heavy security in Tehran. A manuscript penned by Albert Einstein, it is titled Die Gottesformel: The God Formula.

So begins a remarkable adventure that spans the world, as Thomas and Ariana pursue the dangerous truth behind an incredible document. The Einstein Enigma is a breathtaking fusion of science, thriller, and religion, a mind-bending trip to the source of time, the essence of the universe, and the meaning of life itself.

Deadwood

The town of Deadwood, South Dakota in the weeks following the Custer massacre is a lawless sinkhole of crime and corruption. Into this uncivilized outpost ride a disillusioned and bitter ex-lawman, Wild Bill Hickok, and Seth Bullock, a man hoping to find a new start for himself. Both men find themselves quickly on opposite sides of the legal and moral fence from Al Swearengen, saloon owner, hotel operator, and incipient boss of Deadwood. The lives of these three intertwine with many others, the high-minded and the low-lifes who populate Deadwood in 1876.

There's something powerful and moving about 'Deadwood'… It's truly a drama of memorable characters, dark and ultra-violent… If you love Westerns, don't miss it!

Human Planet

Like all life forms, humanity partially adapts to types of natural environment, yet also tends to change them. Each episode examines how life differs for men and nature in some type of environment, from Arctic to desert and jungle, from coasts to mountains.

BBC high quality, as usual!  

Intouchables

After he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caretaker.

A touching yet funny French comedy!  

In The Name Of The Father

Based on a true, the film recounts the story of Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis) who is wrongly accused as an IRA terrorist. Not only are the police bending the facts to prove their case, but in the process they also implicate members of his friends and family, including his father Giuseppe (Postlethwaithe) whose health condition is rather frail. Gerry is a rebellious and mildly delinquent boy, who does not seem to have grown up, and his attitude toward his father is not the appropriate one; however, as they start to go through the ordeal together, Gerry gradually matures, and starts feeling a deep affection and respect for Giuseppe.

The story is heart-breaking and shocking at the same time, even more when we realize that these things actually did happen.

The Lord of The Rings trilogy

No need for words!!!!

Sherlock

Another great English production!

In this modernized version of the Conan Doyle characters, using his detective plots, Sherlock Holmes lives in early 21st century London and acts more cocky towards Scotland Yard's detective inspector Lestrade because he's actually less confident. Doctor Watson is now a fairly young veteran of the Afghan war, less adoring and more active! Cumberbatch is a fantastic choice for Sherlock Holmes. In summary, I think this series is brilliant and well done.

Home

Outstanding documentary! With aerial footage from 54 countries, Home is a depiction of how the Earth's problems are all interlinked. The cinematography of this documentary is amazing, even the images of pollution of the environment that humans have caused look remarkably appealing to the eye. But this documentary is much more than a stream of beautiful images from across the world! The message that the documentary contains is a strong one: unlike our nations, our ecosystem doesn't have any borders. Without a rapidly growing global awareness of the situation we are facing, we will leave a much harsher environment for our children, in which natural resources on which we all depend will become increasingly scarce.

Mr. Nobody

Genius! A tale that spans different time zones of the 20th and 21st centuries!

The movie was extremely imaginative, original, funny, and will probably have you thinking about it and about your own life for days after viewing it! Besides that, the soundtrack is awesome!

Billy Elliot

Another extraordinary English film!

A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family! Jamie Bell has an outstanding screen presence and carries the movie on his little shoulders with breath-taking naturalism.    

To put it simple, this film is a pleasure from start to finish! 

An Education

A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age! This is an extremely well-made film! The talented Carey Mulligan is definitely someone to watch as her career develops! It explores many issues such as social class, racism and the value of education! One of the best British films of recent years!

A song of ice and fire

As a great fun of the show, I  also read the books. And I have to say that I was deeply surprised. It was everything that I expected and much more! In less than six months I read all the five books that have been released till now! I hope that the release of  the sixth book will be soon!

Game of thrones

Game of thrones is a series based on the novels of George R.R. Martin. The story unfolds within seven noble families that fight for the control of the mythical land of Westeros! George R. R. Martin's world is unlike any other fantasy world you have ever seen.

Sharkwater

In this documentary filmmaker Rob Stewart, goes into a beautiful and dangerous life journey, exploring sharks. Driven by passion fed from a life-long fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks as bloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas. Filmed in high definition video, Sharkwater takes you into the most shark rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations in the marine reserves of Cocos Island, Costa Rica and the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

This is an eye-opening film, visually stunning that will change the way you see our oceans!

Se7en

Another great film, se7en tells the story of two detectives, a rookie and a veteran who hunt a serial killer that uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi! Besides an all-star cast (Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Space), this film has also an extraordinary director David Fincher. All together, this makes a visually stunning film. Definitely a must see!             

Up

Till now I haven't posted an animation film, and so, my first animation film posted is UP. The storyline of this film tells the story of a 78-year-old Carl that tie thousands of balloons to his home, in order to fulfil his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. In meantime, Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years younger, inadvertently becomes stowaway.

This movie is breathtaking!          

Tsotsi

Tostsi is a foreign language film that won the Oscar for best foreign film in 2006. The film portrays the violent life o a young Johannesburg gang leader, during six days. Totsi is a gorgeous and thrilling movie, which takes you into a world of South African poverty and crime that has never seen before!     

Dexter

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) is a forensics expert at day, serial killer with a touch of vigilantism at night. Dexter is creating a believable and very detailed portrait of a, let’s say troubled, sociopath.  This is a thrilling story and also one of the best opening sequences ever. We can't forget also the formidable performance of Michael C. Hall. For me the right choice! 

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Set during World War II, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences. This is a wonderful movie that will grab you and never let you go! 

The Cove

The documentary that I choose for today is about a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry that infiltrates in a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health! 

Words can hardly describe how powerful this documentary is, and the lengths to which human cruelty can extend to! This film opens your eyes to the truly devastating fates of thousands of dolphins, who are slaughtered without remorse!

Pulp Fiction

I save my last post movie’s of the day for one classic, Pulp Fiction, by Quentin Tarantino! In this movie the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. It's filled with dynamite, sudden and always interesting action, great and naturally clever dialogue, and memorable characters.

Edward Scissorhands

This film tells the story of an uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful teenage girl. This is a beautiful movie, and most people I know have never seen it. You really should see this movie!

In this movie it’s possible to see the characteristic style of Tim Burton! He's a very criticized director, who you either love or hate!

A Jangada de Pedra

In my last post of the day I will recommend you a book named A Jangada de Pedra, by José Saramago (Nobel prize of literature in 1998). The basic premise of the novel is that the Iberian Peninsula has broken off the European continent and is floating freely in the Atlantic Ocean; bureaucrats around the world are forced to deal with the traumatic effects, while five characters from across Portugal and Spain are drawn ever closer to one another, embarking on a journey within the peninsula as the landmass journeys itself.

Breaking Bad

As I said in the initial post I will post also the series that I like the most! And the first series that I will present here doesn’t need any presentation for most of you!  

The storyline is about a man (Walter White) that has been informed about his health condition, terminal cancer. He is an underachieving chemistry genius turned high school teacher which uses his expertise to secretly provide for his family by producing the world's highest quality crystal meth.

I present to you BREAKING BAD!

Wasted Land

The documentary that I present to you is a social documentary based in the lives of garbage pickers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is called Wasted Land. In this documentary the top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey into the Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. 

Incendies

The last film that I will post today is a foreign language film called, Incendies.  Shortly, this movie is about a twin’s journey to the Middle East to discover their family history, and fulfill their mother's last wishes. This movie is absolutely convincing, which has very intense images and words with a very sad atmosphere. It also makes you cry, makes you angry and definitely shocks you.

In my opinion, this is an extremely good movie and it is surely worth watching.

Remember the titans

Another film that I watched recently and that I liked a lot was Remember the titans, by Boaz Yakin. This film is a biography about a newly appointed African-American coach (Denzel Washington) and his high school team on their first season! However this film is more than just another football film. It shows the racial environment in which the America was living on during the 70s. It is easy for you to get inside the movie and live the characters experiences, and thrill with them! An inspirational movie!

The Shawshank Redemption

The first movie that I post here is one of my favorite movies, The Shawshank Redemption. This film is about two imprisoned men bond over a number of years that find solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency. This movie has a great and deep message, which culminates in two great performances made by Tim Robbins (Andy Dufresne) and Morgan Freeman (Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding). I will not get in details about the storyline of the film; I only say that this is one of the most inspiring and greatest movies ever. It has everything you could possible want. A must see! 

Let's the journey begins

The purpose of this blog is to share my point of view about books, films, documentaries and series!  These days we find too much information that we need to filter, and so the main goal of this blog is to do that! Here you will encounter critics about movies, books, documentaries and series that had been released in the last century.  Enjoy your voyage!