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Thesis

Thesis

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Thesis, a triumph of indie filmmaking, don't miss it!
Review: Alejandro Amenábar's THESIS is one of the most disturbing and original movies I have seen in a long, long time. For some reason I was captured at once by its raw look and complex story, perfectly played by Ana Torrent as the lead character Angela.

Angela is a film student at the university in Madrid, Spain. While doing some research for her graduation thesis on violence in movies, she comes across (in part by chance) a snuff video tape where a young girl can be seen (and heard) slowly and viciously being tortured and killed to death, in the most gruesome and inhumane way you can possibly imagine.

The genious behind THESIS lies in the fact that Amenábar slowly takes you deeper and deeper into the story, until you find yourself immersed in a world of terror and intrigue from which you realize there is no way out.

Angela can't force herself to watch the tape at first, but the choices she makes will lead her deeper and deeper not only into the heart of the killer, but into the heart of her very own fears.

Don't miss this one, it's an excellent example of how you don't need a big budget nor A-list movie stars to make a truly outstanding movie. Word of caution though, this is not for the faint at heart. The DVD edition is highly, highly recommeneded, I'm glad they decided to release this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A competent thriller from Spain
Review: Angela's thesis is on the subject of violence in the media, and in order to aid in her research, she asks her professor to get a movie from the Univerisity's film library. She also asks Chema, one of her classmates, to help as everyone knows he has a large collection of violent films.

The nest day, Angela finds her professor dead in a viewing room at the University, steals the tape he was viewing and takes it to Chema. They soon discover a snuff film - a filming of an acutal murder in one take. And, Chema recognizes the girl as a young student who disappeared two years ago. Together, they set out to discover who made the film. But Angela soon discovers that Chema is not exactly who he says. Can she trust him? And just what role does the university have with this video?

A very competent thriller from Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar. The script has enough twists to keep you guessing as to who is on Angela's side and who is telling the truth. Plus, with some excellent filming, you can feel Angela's anxiety as she watches the film for the first time, with the picture contrast turned to black, only hearing the sounds.

The picture quality of this DVD is a bit grainy, but the sound quality is very good. There are some nice extras, too.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A competent thriller from Spain
Review: Angela's thesis is on the subject of violence in the media, and in order to aid in her research, she asks her professor to get a movie from the Univerisity's film library. She also asks Chema, one of her classmates, to help as everyone knows he has a large collection of violent films.

The nest day, Angela finds her professor dead in a viewing room at the University, steals the tape he was viewing and takes it to Chema. They soon discover a snuff film - a filming of an acutal murder in one take. And, Chema recognizes the girl as a young student who disappeared two years ago. Together, they set out to discover who made the film. But Angela soon discovers that Chema is not exactly who he says. Can she trust him? And just what role does the university have with this video?

A very competent thriller from Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar. The script has enough twists to keep you guessing as to who is on Angela's side and who is telling the truth. Plus, with some excellent filming, you can feel Angela's anxiety as she watches the film for the first time, with the picture contrast turned to black, only hearing the sounds.

The picture quality of this DVD is a bit grainy, but the sound quality is very good. There are some nice extras, too.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BUSCANDO EL DVD DE TESIS SIN SUBTITULOS
Review: Busco el DVD de la pelicula Tesis con la opcion para quitar y poner subtitulos o simplemente, sin subtitulos, alguien que tengas esta version de DVD que me la quiera vender.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Stuck In My Mind
Review: The fact that the snuff film industry actually exists is scary enough. This film is a chilling look at peoples obsession with money and violence. I won't go into the plot, but I will say that all fans of psycological thrillers, mysteries and horror should check this one out. The acting was appropriate, and it was very well directed by Amenebar (who went on to direct the US hit "The Others"). This one will stick with you long after the credits have passed.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Smart, Macabre, and Distressing Cinematic Experience
Review: Thesis is a cinematic journey into the darkness of our own personality where we should be questioning why we want to see violence. The film student Ángela Márquez (Ana Torrent) is establishing her own thesis with the same notion, and she is on a quest for some very violent films for her thesis. She asks her professor, who is supervising her project, if he could help her find some very violent films. She is also asking for help from a fellow film student at her university who is known to have a large collection of violent and brutal films. Her professor finds what she is looking for, but dies from--what it looks like to be--a heart attack from unusual circumstances. Ángela finds the tape that her professor was watching when he suffered from the heart attack, but she cannot bear to watch it, she only listens to the agonizing screams of someone who is being tortured and then murdered. The story is highly suspenseful and keeps the audience on alert from the beginning to the end. In addition, Thesis is a smart, macabre, and distressing cinematic experience that provides an opportunity to contemplate over why violence has an attraction value to the audience.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My name is Angela, I'm going to die.
Review: Thesis is one of the fastest and most thrilling movies that I've seen in years!

Angela is writing her Thesis on audivisual violence. She has enlisted the help of her professor and her reclusive new friend Chema. Her professor has a heart attack while watching a snuff film found in the school's archives. Angela steals the tape before anyone else can get to it and she and Chema watch it. The film stars a missing co-ed and Chema believes they can find the film's origin by locating the unique camera that was used.

Are they looking for the filmmaker, or is the filmmaker looking for them? Is there more to Chema than he lets on? What kind of person is the mysterious and charming Bosco?

Alejandro Amenabar is BRILLIANT! This is a average story made extrodinary by it's brilliant director and wonderful actors. Fele Martinez is hysterical and poignant at the same time as Chema. Eduardo Noriega is mesmerizing as Bosco (I found myself wanting to stand and cheer every time he was on the screen). This is definitely a must see! It's 100% American in it's action, it's just spoken in a different language (you won't mind reading the sub-titles). If you love movies, give this one a chance. It will blow you away.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie will keep you up at night!!
Review: This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever seen. It does everything that a good movie should do. It sucks you into the story from the word go, makes you care about the main characters, and keeps you guessing until the very end. I'm not going to waste my time giving you a blow-by-blow recap of the plot; other reviews have done that quite nicely. What I will say is that Alejandro Amenabar made a great movie. It is a foreign film, so you should be prepared to read subtitles. (There is no English soundtrack.) I agree with some other reviews in that the picture quality is not the greatest. In a weird way, however, the poor picture actually added to my enjoyment of the movie. It made it seem grittier, darker, and more sinister. Of course the movie's theme (snuff films) might have helped just a smidge. I'm not familiar with the snuff film industry, but Thesis seems to approach it from a realistic perspective which makes it even scarier. Nothing about the plot seems contrived, and the acting is solid. Also, when all is said and done, you're left with the disconcerting notions that anyone can be a madman (or madwoman) and that people you think you know aren't always who they appear to be. The "making of" extra is really good and gives both director and actor insight into what this movie is. Believe me, you simply can't go wrong adding Thesis to your DVD collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent movie!!
Review: This is, by far, the most suspenseful movie I've seen in the longest time, definitely better than a lot of recent American thrillers. "Thesis" is not only well-performed, well-directed, and well-produced. It is also well-written. Plus, there's also a wonderful musical score to back it up. The fact that it's a whodunnit thriller makes it even more of a treat to watch. Highly recommended!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: subtitle warning
Review: This movie is good but I just want to warn people that the subtitles are not digital or optional, rather part of the movie image. So native speakers or people who want to practice their Spanish may be disappointed.


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