Rating: 
Summary: A+
Review: Una de las mejores , si no la mejor pelicula que he visto en Español! De comienzo a final te mantiene en suspenso! Los actores eran excelentes! Todo, todo todo de de esta producion estavo muy bien .... Compite con cual quier pelicula Norteamericana!Bravo Cine Español!
Rating: 
Summary: Theme of violence is tough to believe, vision is great
Review: Unfortunately, I am not the most versed in Spanish and was unable to understand the entirety of the non-subtitled version I watched. Still, Amenabar's excellent direction and vision allowed me to experience the majority of the thrills in this excellent film.
As far as plot goes, it is best to watch it for yourself. There are twists around every corner, so it is neccessary to pay attention to the details. Watching the actors/actresses body language proved to be very helpful to my understanding of the film. Even if you have subtitles or a better comprehension of the language, I reccomended that you watch how the characters interact and react verrry closely. Their movements and looks are often stronger than their words.
Violence isn't a fun topic for most people to approach, but Amenabar does it in a very tasteful fashion. Instead of showing loads of blood and gore, Amenabar focuses on the dramatic impact of alluding to violence. It is a much stronger film because of its lack of "in your face" gore-- allowing the audience to imagine the violence for themselves makes the whole idea of the movie even more impressed on the audience's minds.
This movie will keep you guessing til the end, and unilke many "thrillers", the audience actually wants to guess. It is not uncommon for audiences to just assume an explanation and stick with it. In this movie, you are never really quite sure, and can make fortified claims for almost any conclusion.
Amenabar's film does not have the same philosophical insight as some of his later works, but this movie is a great example of exemplary film making. From his choice of shots to his written lines, his work is solid and unforgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: A Disgusting and Reprehensible Film
Review: We should all be sad as humans that this type of movie gets made, that people praise the brutality of the images they see, and that so many people take pleasure in seeing death and brutality on film. I understand that in an open society things "get in" that maybe should not get in, but I feel as though films such as these that nearly glorify violence and brutality are pusing the boundaries, and in a bad way! I mean really, what is the point of making a film such as this, other than to make money and shock value? There is no redeeming value to this movie. None. Are we supposed to realize the brutality that can exist within the human mind? We don't need to see a film such as this to know that. Just watch the nightly news for that! Or read a history book - history is full of human brutality. This film was a big disappointment as I have seen Abre los Ojos (also by this director) and thought it to be brilliant. And Abre los Ojos set the stage for Vanilla Sky (by Cameron Crowe), a fantastic film. Too bad Amenabar has to tarnish his resume with this one!
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, lousy picture transfer
Review: We wanted to make an "AMERICAN STYLE THRILLER!" says director Alejandro Amenabar and crew concerning the film "Thesis," so much so that you can practically see the all caps and quotation marks whenever anyone mentions the phrase on the behind the scenes featurette. I think this statement even appears on the cover for the DVD edition. The question I have to ask after hearing this declaration is "Why?" Most American thrillers, at least in recent years, are dreadfully boring pieces of chaff churned out with cookie cutter precision. Usually, the characters in an "American thriller" rarely achieve any sort of depth, the filmmakers rely so heavily on special effects and violence as to reduce the plot to mere banality, and the starched, formulaic nature of the film guarantees you can recite the dialogue before the characters do. I suspect the director of "Thesis" probably referred to older American thrillers from the middle part of the twentieth century instead of the pap released over the last couple of decades. Whatever the case, I saw little resemblence to American thrillers as I watched "Thesis." I do think the film favorably compares to one of Dario Argento's giallo films rather than anything released on this side of the pond. And that, my friends, is ultimately a good thing. "Thesis" tells the story of Spanish film student Angela Marquez (Ana Torrent) and her ghastly experiences as she prepares to work on her thesis at university. A closet voyeur fascinated with violence, Marquez hungers to do her thesis on the elusive film genre known as snuff. Snuff, of course, is the filming of real murder for entertainment value, and we all know such things do not exist in any marketable sense of the word. Angela thinks this is true until she asks one of her professors to check out gory footage for her from the school's film vault. When her teacher dies while watching one of these tapes, Marquez finds herself caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of events that prove, among other things, that snuff films really do exist. Moreover, as Angela deepens her investigations into the demise of her professor, she realizes individuals in the university itself may well be involved in filming murders. Several local girls went missing over the past year or so, one of whom appears on a tape Angela obtains from the film vault. No one is safe from suspicion, not fellow film student and gore fan Chema, not a slightly creepy guy named Bosco, not Angela's new thesis advisor. It soon gets to the point that Marquez cannot trust anyone at school as she comes closer and closer to the horrific truth behind the snuff films stored in the film vault. She will, in fact, consider herself lucky to escape with her life let alone finish her thesis. "Thesis" is all about atmosphere, and it has plenty to spare. Many scenes in the film are downright creepy. Pay close attention to Angela's up close and personal encounter with the suspicious Bosco in her bedroom, or the trip through the darkened tunnel as the strange Chema tells a weird story, or the scene where Marquez first watches the snuff tape but can only stand to listen to the grisly sounds for a few seconds before turning the whole thing off. Director Amenabar does an excellent job of ratcheting up the tension throughout the movie in a way eerily reminiscent of Italian master Dario Argento. He uses the camera well during extended chase sequences, makes excellent use of lighting during the tunnel scene and the explosive conclusion, and even employs the twist within a twist plot development so beloved by fans of Argento. Unlike the Italian maestro, fortunately, Amenabar's film makes sense as a whole. After watching "Thesis," I am not surprised at all that this director has gone on to bigger and better projects and has drawn rave reviews from film critics. "Thesis" is an excellent debut feature from a promising filmmaker. About the only negative concerning the film is the overly long runtime. There's definitely a message in the film. The idea of screen violence, filmmakers, and the audience receives more than lip service from Amenabar. At one point in the film, Marquez's new thesis advisor delivers a lecture regarding the importance of providing the movie going public with whatever material they wish to see, that a director must pay attention to his or her public if they wish to survive in such a tough business. Is Amenabar criticizing the lowbrow, duplicitous tastes of the masses? Or does he truly believe in the legitimacy of something as abhorrent as snuff films? I think the former, since Marquez serves as an archetype of the typical audience member who professes to deplore violence yet cannot escape the irresistible lure of seeing killings played out onscreen. "Thesis" takes the audience to task for its hypocrisy regarding the love/hate relationship with controversial media often expressed by the public even as they buy tickets to such things by the boatload. The DVD version of Amenabar's film is a letdown. The extras--including a batch of trailers and an effective behind the scenes featurette boasting interviews with the cast and crew--are worth watching. What stinks is the quality of the picture transfer; it is grainy, washed out, and looks like someone lifted it right off a second generation VHS dupe. "Thesis" deserves a better release. It is a movie with a message, more than a few scares, and solid performances from the cast. Many movies claim to cover the topic of snuff films, but none that I have seen as of this date can compare with Alejandro Amenabar's "Thesis." Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie, lousy picture transfer
Review: We wanted to make an "AMERICAN STYLE THRILLER!" says director Alejandro Amenabar and crew concerning the film "Thesis," so much so that you can practically see the all caps and quotation marks whenever anyone mentions the phrase on the behind the scenes featurette. I think this statement even appears on the cover for the DVD edition. The question I have to ask after hearing this declaration is "Why?" Most American thrillers, at least in recent years, are dreadfully boring pieces of chaff churned out with cookie cutter precision. Usually, the characters in an "American thriller" rarely achieve any sort of depth, the filmmakers rely so heavily on special effects and violence as to reduce the plot to mere banality, and the starched, formulaic nature of the film guarantees you can recite the dialogue before the characters do. I suspect the director of "Thesis" probably referred to older American thrillers from the middle part of the twentieth century instead of the pap released over the last couple of decades. Whatever the case, I saw little resemblence to American thrillers as I watched "Thesis." I do think the film favorably compares to one of Dario Argento's giallo films rather than anything released on this side of the pond. And that, my friends, is ultimately a good thing. "Thesis" tells the story of Spanish film student Angela Marquez (Ana Torrent) and her ghastly experiences as she prepares to work on her thesis at university. A closet voyeur fascinated with violence, Marquez hungers to do her thesis on the elusive film genre known as snuff. Snuff, of course, is the filming of real murder for entertainment value, and we all know such things do not exist in any marketable sense of the word. Angela thinks this is true until she asks one of her professors to check out gory footage for her from the school's film vault. When her teacher dies while watching one of these tapes, Marquez finds herself caught up in an increasingly bizarre series of events that prove, among other things, that snuff films really do exist. Moreover, as Angela deepens her investigations into the demise of her professor, she realizes individuals in the university itself may well be involved in filming murders. Several local girls went missing over the past year or so, one of whom appears on a tape Angela obtains from the film vault. No one is safe from suspicion, not fellow film student and gore fan Chema, not a slightly creepy guy named Bosco, not Angela's new thesis advisor. It soon gets to the point that Marquez cannot trust anyone at school as she comes closer and closer to the horrific truth behind the snuff films stored in the film vault. She will, in fact, consider herself lucky to escape with her life let alone finish her thesis. "Thesis" is all about atmosphere, and it has plenty to spare. Many scenes in the film are downright creepy. Pay close attention to Angela's up close and personal encounter with the suspicious Bosco in her bedroom, or the trip through the darkened tunnel as the strange Chema tells a weird story, or the scene where Marquez first watches the snuff tape but can only stand to listen to the grisly sounds for a few seconds before turning the whole thing off. Director Amenabar does an excellent job of ratcheting up the tension throughout the movie in a way eerily reminiscent of Italian master Dario Argento. He uses the camera well during extended chase sequences, makes excellent use of lighting during the tunnel scene and the explosive conclusion, and even employs the twist within a twist plot development so beloved by fans of Argento. Unlike the Italian maestro, fortunately, Amenabar's film makes sense as a whole. After watching "Thesis," I am not surprised at all that this director has gone on to bigger and better projects and has drawn rave reviews from film critics. "Thesis" is an excellent debut feature from a promising filmmaker. About the only negative concerning the film is the overly long runtime. There's definitely a message in the film. The idea of screen violence, filmmakers, and the audience receives more than lip service from Amenabar. At one point in the film, Marquez's new thesis advisor delivers a lecture regarding the importance of providing the movie going public with whatever material they wish to see, that a director must pay attention to his or her public if they wish to survive in such a tough business. Is Amenabar criticizing the lowbrow, duplicitous tastes of the masses? Or does he truly believe in the legitimacy of something as abhorrent as snuff films? I think the former, since Marquez serves as an archetype of the typical audience member who professes to deplore violence yet cannot escape the irresistible lure of seeing killings played out onscreen. "Thesis" takes the audience to task for its hypocrisy regarding the love/hate relationship with controversial media often expressed by the public even as they buy tickets to such things by the boatload. The DVD version of Amenabar's film is a letdown. The extras--including a batch of trailers and an effective behind the scenes featurette boasting interviews with the cast and crew--are worth watching. What stinks is the quality of the picture transfer; it is grainy, washed out, and looks like someone lifted it right off a second generation VHS dupe. "Thesis" deserves a better release. It is a movie with a message, more than a few scares, and solid performances from the cast. Many movies claim to cover the topic of snuff films, but none that I have seen as of this date can compare with Alejandro Amenabar's "Thesis." Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Recursive
Review: when a painter paints himself it is always a masterpiece, so when a director makes a film about directing it is a hit just like "all that jaz". Well, this film is not that level yet but it is of the type. the plot is about a cenima student who is making a thesis on violence in films and then gets herslef in trouble. The idea I am sure will be revisited more often in the near future and will produce more powerful hits (8MM is an example but still in the way to perfecting, there's a also the final film in Elm street series by the master Wes craven and there is also "the mouth of madness"). So it is recommended especially if you are tired of action thrillers about prehistoric-animals and care to see nowadays threatens.
Rating:
Summary: Splendid Pelicula
Review: While neither being fluent in Spanish, nor having sub-titles to assist my reading, I missed many small details that would have allowed me to understand the movie more easily. By watching each scene carefully and picking up what dialogue I could, I was able to follow the quite interesting plot. Alejandro Amenabar produced an amazing film that captured the essence ot the "Snuff" film industry. I found the latter part of the film a bit confusing, though after watching the "Making-Of" section on the DVD version I gained a better understanding of the storyline. I would recommend watching the "Making-Of" before watching the film, so as to better understand the film. I recommend the film to any who are intersted in the "Snuff" industry, enjoy spanish, or just want to see a good, yet somewhat off-beat movie. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: wow- we watched this in spanish class this year and im very impressed. as much as i generally do not like subtitles, it actually added to the whole thing. im not going to retell the plot because im sure other reviews have already done that, but for someone learning spanish, movies like this are a good way to create some enthusiasm.
Rating: 
Summary: First Half Strong, Second Half Unravels
Review: You can tell this is Alejandro Amenábar's first film. The first half of it contains all the superb bravura filmmaking he would bring to fulfillment in his "The Others" and "Open Your Eyes." However, he lacked the artistic maturity at this early point to follow his initial idea all the way through, with dramatic consistency and insightfulness, to the end. The first half shows a female film student gradually ensnared into an unfolding drama in her department over covert snuff films involving other women students. These women are now missing and presumed dead but the films they "starred in" continue to surface. The second half of the film finds Amenábar falling back on stock and stereotypical Hollywood resolutions to the actions he set in place, a mistake he does not repeat in later films. Eduardo Noriega, as a male student the woman suspects as the snuff filmmaker, demonstrates all the great charisma and presence he later brought to Amenábar's "Open Your Eyes." I would love to see him in more films. Amenábar definitely appears to have been stylistically influenced by American director Brian DePalma in making this film but has moved way beyond DePalma in his later work.
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