Pandorum - Beautifully shot, amazingly acted thrill...

Pandorum (2009)

I didn't expect much from Pandorum when I went to see it. Therefore I was taken completely by surprise as to how incredibly good the movie was. It's very strange for me to love so much a strictly genre piece, but there you have it.

Pandorum follows the rules of SF/horror deep-space stories and doesn't stray into new territory, but it still manages to not seem a rip-off of anything, even when you see clearly which movies it was inspired by in specific scenes.

Pandorum is claustrophobic to the point of suffocation. It is darkly schizophrenic and vibrates with barely contained hysteria. It is also almost entirely devoid of cheap shocks, which is very much to its credit.

The movie delivers an amazing performance from both leading characters, but especially from Ben Foster whose Corporal Bower is both strong and vulnerable, barely keeping it together. He is so believable in fact, that at some point I almost began to feel some of the hysterics of his situation.



The camera is also great, especially in portraying the claustrophobic shaft sequences and the movement of the creatures infesting the ship Elysium. The way it focuses on characters' faces during specific moments also strengthens the atmosphere of panic and dementia.

All in all, Pandorum is far more than I expected, and I loved every second of it. True, it presents nothing original and sticks to the basics of a very limited genre. But he does it masterfully, with superb acting and a scorchingly engaging atmosphere. For me that is not only the SF, but also the horror movie of the year.

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I had such a good time watching The Hangover

The Hangover (2009)

The classical stag-party has always been a popular subject in sexual comedies.The Hangover makes an innovative twist setting the story on the day after the bachelor party.The result is an excellent comedy which made me have a great time.

The Hangover resulted to be much better than what I expected because of its sober tone and ingenious screenplay,which exaggerates enough to making us laugh,at the same time it tells us a very interesting story which is well structured.I like to finally see a comedy which does not forget to endorsing the laughs with a solid story.The movie uses elements we have seen on other comedies (like the prostitute with a good heart or the expensive car of the father-in-law they have to take special care) but they are used on a natural way,and they are well implemented to the story.



But I think the best element from this movie is the brilliant cast.Director Todd Phillips made the good decision of selecting a solid cast with excellent instincts for comedy.I also appreciated the fact that the actors are not Hollywood stars,because that makes the situations from the movie more realistic.It would have been very easy (and commercially less risky) to hire Vince Vaughn,Owen Wilson,Ben Stiller or Dane Cook,but I really appreciate Phillips did not fall on that trap,because if he did that,the situations portrayed in The Hangover would not have felt so real.

I also appreciated that besides all the rudeness from the jokes,The Hangover has good moments of human warmth and friendship.I took an enormous surprise with this brilliant comedy,and I gave it a very enthusiastic recommendation to anyone who wants to have a memorable and hugely funny time.

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