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Nicholas 11/11/2010 5:17:00 AM
The thing I appreciate about Village Voice reviews is that they draw my attention to aspects of a film that I, an average viewer, might not otherwise see. In this case, the reviewer has not done any homework. Style aside, El secreto de sus ojos stands out in Argentine cinema for the way in which it reworks, in an indirect way, fundamental and recurring themes since the "Dirty War" - memory and political violence. Did the reviewer not notice the context of increasing impunity of certain state officials, and the murderer even? The memory portions of this film unveil, rather beautifully in my view, the way in which sadists were harnessed for the purposes of state-repression, and this during the rather forgotten period of political violence (1975, after Peron's death) that preceded the 1976 coup that led to the disappearances of roughly 30,000 citizens, many of whose murderers will be served justice cold if at all. Without this context, the ending might indeed seem ridiculous. With it, the question of uncompromising justice taken to pathological extremes resonates beyond the caprice of the Academy. The reviewer should pick up a book, or at least skim a few wikipedia entries before vomiting wit dogged by ignorance. The Village Voice is better than this.
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jan-Erik Asplund 06/17/2010 8:22:00 PM
I love the swarming masses coming in to decry literally the one bad review on the Rotten Tomatoes 'Top Critics' page. Are you all that sensitive about your movie that you need to attack the one individual who didn't like it? The review wasn't even that bad - you're all insane.
Oh, and Mike, what the hell is there to 'get' about the film? It's a Hollywood-style crime drama, it's not exactly a deep rumination on mortality and the human condition. You either like it or you don't. It's pulp.
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Michigan Chet 06/03/2010 7:43:00 PM
I could not disagree more with this review; apparently the academy was also not of the same mind as the reviewer, as they had to watch all the nominated films and voted for this one as the best foreign language film, an honor it richly deserves.
The acting in this film is right on target, the cinematography is great, the story hangs together very well and I just don' think this reviewer is understanding the film. I would worry that a hack, mentally lazy writeup like this might put people off seeing this gem of a film (which won almost every award in Argentina by the way). Ignore it. See the film
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armchairdictatorcom 05/29/2010 10:52:00 AM
This movie was not as amazing as some have praised nor did it suck as much as it is claimed. The acting is very good and, generally, the dialog is witty and sometimes hilarious, especially Sandoval. Hunting down the killer worked very well. Understanding the victims worked quite well. The love interest which seemed to play a completely back story until later in the film did not fare well at all. The very ending was absurd and only in that regard is the reviewer correct. I think a great deal of anger and resentment of this film stems from the fact that it probably didn't deserve to win best foreign film. Overall it's a most engaging film for the majority of it's length while suffering from minor flaws in that it runs too long, is overambitious in throwing too much into the mix and the ending, quite simply, went right to Hollywood town and was not credible. A good solid watch, just below Oscar winning caliber.
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Harmiclir 05/23/2010 8:53:00 AM
Just saw the movie--truly pretentious, long-winded, conventional, boring and pedestrian. The only way this piece of trash won the Oscar was because Prophet, Ajami and White Ribbon split the vote. Really una pelicula terrible y incredible.
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Cristina 05/23/2010 12:55:00 AM
The Secret in HIS eyes would have been a better translation to th e English speaking public. The movie is fabulous, beyond the point of how the bastard criminal was revealed...........it brings an existing problem with justice an punishment. The widower is the true link with many of us, viewers that would like to see criminals paying with their own life. The dialogue and silence has depth and meaning if you understand the native language of the actors. A piece of art with little resources: topic and dialogue. Great ACTING.
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Alex O. Williams 05/22/2010 12:56:00 AM
How DARE you not love this movie! What are you, some kind of film critic or something? All the other reviewers liked it, so get on board buddy—and put that brain of yours away!
just kidding. I enjoyed some things about the movie, but I agree that the interrogation/humiliation scene was ridiculous and absurd, especially when it supposedly yielded results! Also not a fan of the stupid "surprise" at the end of the film, nor the really bad old-age make-up featured here. Hard to believe this one took the Oscar over THE WHITE RIBBON or ADJAMI.
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rolling my eyes 05/12/2010 7:11:00 AM
Finally, a reviewer with some common sense. I was expecting to love the film, but it was honestly one of the WORST movies I have ever seen. The dialogue was atrocious, the editing non-existence, and the characters emotionally flat. I don't know how it's possible to make a such a boring, meaningless murder mystery/love story/political caper. There were so many missed opportunities to say something deep. I'm dumfounded by the positive reviews. People seem to care more about the opinions of big name critics than the plain truth: the movie seriously SUCKS!
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d.du 04/30/2010 3:24:00 AM
Short but spot-on review of a terrible film! I'm glad that Village Voice carries on having insightful, critical reviewers.
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jklau 04/26/2010 7:41:00 AM
You may not like the review, but I did. If this were an American film, critics would be saying exactly this: pretentious, repetitive silliness. And this won over Ajami and White Ribbon, two original masterpieces? Really? But then, the Academy voted for Sandra Bullock as a classy Southern belle. Silliness may be in, but blindness too?
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KM 04/24/2010 11:15:00 PM
The genereal consensus of the reviews of this review is spot on.
A tragically amusing and pathetic review from somebody bitter about something other than a brilliant film.
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Jeff 04/24/2010 8:39:00 PM
God, I am so sick of movie reviews written by angry pretentious know-nothings who just love putting down the work of others.
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AML 04/20/2010 4:04:00 AM
I really can't believe this review, I can't disagree more with it.
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Rex 04/19/2010 9:39:00 AM
Wow, forget the movie.
The darling in here is the reviewer.
He is inspiring, riveting, trascendental, profound.
Not...
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Andres 04/19/2010 9:19:00 AM
I completely agree with the reviewer. It is a stupid film made to look "smart" through edition and hyperbole. It never amounts to anything and doesn't excel at anything it tries to do. The mocking tone of the reviewer is spot on: it's a movie that deserves to be laughed at.
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wtf 04/16/2010 11:49:00 PM
THIS IS A TOP REVIEWER FOR ROTTENTOMATOES?? The worst review ever, i've seen a lot of biased reviews, but this one is pure bias without any content.
W T F
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Mike 04/15/2010 6:37:00 PM
Hahah, The WORST review ever. I mean, it's obvious this is a 14 year old kid who didn't understand the film. Only that he gets published in a shitty website. Go see the movie with a grown up. You'll get it soon.
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Phoenix 04/15/2010 1:58:00 PM
Wow, have you really seen the movie?? What an amateurish, angry review. This review does not do justice to the movie even if you think that it did not deserve Oscar.
It's an extremely well-shot and well-edited movie that only an amateur reviewer could not care about these technical qualities.
And, for lots of people who saw the movie, yeah, it hell did deserve the Oscar.
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Jose Leal 04/15/2010 1:46:00 AM
This review sounds like the angry retribution of someone who saw their faves lose at the Oscars.
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I De Marco 04/15/2010 1:41:00 AM
I guess You haven't seen the same movie as the critics from The New Yorker, Variety and The Hollywood Reporter among others who gave it rave reviews.
