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Reviews
Madres paralelas (2021)
Almodovar gone wrong
What the hell happened here? It's two movies mashed into one, things just randomly happen, people are not suddenly gay just because?? Pain and Glory was amazing, this was wrong on so many levels.
The Crown (2016)
Undeniable chemistry
I try to stay away from TV shows and reluctantly watched the first episode of The Crown. But!!! My oh my, what a surprise. Everyone, I mean every single person has stage-like mesmerizing voice, sound mixing is incredible, episodes are very well put. I can only speak about first two season: Claire Foy and Matt Smith have an undeniable chemistry that is so rare these days. It elevates the quality of the show by 1000%. If you have prejudice, like me, just watch it.
Mank (2020)
Splendid
Even those tiny bottles act well in this movie. There's nothing more to say.
Les quatre cents coups (1959)
This is why we love movies
This movie broke and mended my heart for a thousand times during its run-time. Flawless charm of young Leaud is undeniable. See it, for it will blow your mind.
The Boondock Saints (1999)
Very bad and hardly deserving a cult
How this movie became a cult thing is beyond me. I understand when a Neil Breen or Tommy Wiseau movie gets a cult following but this is just one rip-off after another. Quoting Bible and ambiguous murderers are a tad overused, don't you think? Don't get me started on flamboyant FBI character, a carricature so overused after the iconic portrayal of Norman Stansfield by Gary Oldman (and never again matched to this). The director is a fanboy of cool movies but that doesn't make him a good director. Sequel just proves this.
Höstsonaten (1978)
Tough and teary but delightful
"I couldn't say anything,
I had no words,
You had taken charge of all the words in our home."
Argument scene is easily the best performances both from Bergman and Ullman. Bergman embodies the role of a vain but an artist with her own demons. After all, aren't all artist selfish to some extent (and we are more than eager to forgive them)? But, when we feel it on our own skin, we realise how much pain that selfishness can cause. Ullman, on the other hand, is a pure virtue who is unable to love (paradox), and there are no words in english language, or any language, for how delightful she is.
The Old Guard (2020)
Duh
What is movie making anyway? Why bother anymore? Include everything that is woke (including making the most of the crew female because DuH) and there you go, everyone happy. Except not. Villain is completely nuts, but he ain't Oldman in Leon so thats also flat.
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Perfect
"How can you love a word? You can love a person, and it is perfect"
There's nothing to add to this line. In every great sacrifice there's something absurd. Love is magnetic. Love is everything. Love happens not because of reason but in its absence. This film is terrific in showing it. Bess gives her life (morally and literally) to saves Jan. No one else thinks that works; what's beautiful also is that those characters (Dorothy and doctor) are not bad persons: they are mostly like us - and shows how we are drawn to virtue and how we question ourselves each day. Those who never do (church people) will never hear the bells.
Léon (1994)
Possession
So much has already been said about this movie. I only have something to add: Stansfield is a great-great-great grandson of a Lady Macbeth: remember her summoning the demons to help her killing spree? Yeah.
Waves (2019)
Watch it for the emotion
Someone wrote this movie ripped their heart out - I agree wholeheartedly. If you plan on seeing this movie, don't be concerned by the narrative or plot: neither is there for the sake of it, but to explore human emotions such as grief, love, hate, forgiveness. It's true there are two movies here: one very erratic, almost to the point of nausea: you just know something heartbreaking is going to happen: for the girl to die, I certainly did not. So we are about an hour in when our protagonist ends up in jail for pretty much the rest of his life. Normally, I asked myself: where is this movie going??
Suddenly focalisation changes and little sister is now the main protagonist. The second part is like putting an ointment on a fresh wound. It's all about healing and not shutting yourself out: trying to forget and forgive even when you hate somebody, or, more precisely, somebody's actions. How can we forgive when we hate the demon inside them?
The Lobster (2015)
How to watch Lanthimos
Alright alright alright. If you can not stand blood, deadpan (intentional) line delivery, dry and dark/ridiculous/diabolical humour (works for me but I can imagine for many it wouldn't stand a chance) - don't watch. You'll get angry and frustrated. You either like Lanthimos or not. And either way it can be justified.
But if you can march through all that, you'll ne satisfied. You'll laugh out loud (scene when the hotel owners sing at the banquet or when loners are dancing with headphones - this really happens at festivals: was this Lanthimos poking them or not beats me, but since I always found it ridiculous, it worked for me). This isn't intuitive, feel-it-all movie; it's rather made to make us feel kind of uncomfortable - because, how many times have we obeyed to the rules of society? Are we going to do anything to fit in? What is the merit of a successful relationship? We see a relationship 2 relarionships built on a lie (nosebleed couple: we don't see them part, even when the lie is told - perhaps some are okay with a little illusion? David and heartless woman can't stay together because he shows emotions - hence, she can't stand that) Besides, who can say that we can only function if we are alike, or even if we have identical traits (as over the top depicted here) - nothing, nothing but caring for other human being and working for your relationship can make you two last:even then nothing/no one guarantees you a happy ending. Maybe the ending is open because Lanthimos himself is not sure: how much are we ready to sacrifice ourselves for happiness of our loved ones? For me, there are two thesis on this:
1. David is again *blinded* by love, so he smashes that knife into his eyes
2. David hesitates because he is aware that love, no matter what the sacrifice is, is prone to ending.
However, I believe more in the option no. 1. The owners of the hotel represent the lack of will for sacrifice - David and the blind woman might just be their opposite pair.
Viridiana (1961)
Bunuel is superb!
I've only watched Bunuel's short surrealist film before (I'm not sure I'm spelling it alright- Un chien Andalou?) so this was actually my first encounter with his "regular" films. I have to say I'm amazed; this film has it all.
The way I see it it is, in a way, a collision of two worlds: one very tender, sincere and pure (Virdiana) and, basically, the rest of the world. Dostoevsky said: "In every great sacrifice there's something ridiculous." And, maybe Bunuel didn't have this exact sentence in his mind, but this is what we see in the film. After not being really sure has her uncle deflowered her or not, Virdiana feels impure to go back to the monastery. We have an angel-like creature coming into the world of those who are greedy and possessed/consumed by everyday passions. Virdiana has a thorn crown which is set on fire as she sits with her cousin for a card game: for me, this represents the climax of her humanisation - in a way, I feel like she could not live with them without being dragged into their mud: as she exits her room we see a rope and it's shadow above her head: her divine nature is dead and her human, sinful side is conimg to life. Everything she did was torn and stomped on by god's people - even thought they've had completely awful lives, they are just as greedy and soulless as the rich - grand culmination is the carnevalisation of the last supper. My guess is that this was a way of saying that ideals are like Plato's world of ideas: they can only be dreamed of, but never reached, so in that process, we lose our purity and downgrade virtue. In a way, humans ofter ruin everything they touch - but, even if we're made godlike, we are not gods and thus, can we live up to those expectations?
If a movie sets out questions and messages like this, frames it in divine cinematography and truly beautiful acting: it deserves every praise it gets.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Very original, complex, and simple
As others have said by now, this movie is gore, sometimes shocking, sometimes cruel, and sometimes you let out a chuckle. It has mythological and literature subtext, but even if you don't know about Prometheus and Protheus or Ahab - it won't prevent you in enjoying this film. Why? Because, at the end - it's a very simple story we lived through on the past three months: two guys in a lockdown - nowhere to go. Also, I don't know has anybody noticed it yet, but I felt like it has a little bit of Bergman's Persona: two people alone - figuring out what and who they are,merging identites, black and white picture? It suprised me in a positive way. From the first scene you know if you'll like it or not. The atmosphere is so thick you can cut it with a knife, it feels as if you are THERE with them, and as if you're also going insane. You know what it feels like when the power's out and you sit with your family around a candle? And everything is a tad creepy? Yeah, that's what it's like. It's also very oniric - like a bad dream you have, and you know it's a dream but are still very frightened? Like that too. I felt like Pattinson's character is supposed to face himself and his actions, but, in doing so - he loses his mind. He can't stand this obnoxious man he's trapped with, his presence suffocates him and at the same time he feels like he's alone. As some would say: it be like that sometimes. Some mark this as a horror, but if you're here for horror in terms of slashing and screaming and creepiness, you should keep in mind that this film, even thought has these elements, is also a character and insanity study and not only a tool to make you jump in your seat every two seconds. I mean, sometimes you can't even tell who the bad guy is: fatum, perhaps?
Beware: obnoxious sound you hear at the begining is there to stay.
Marriage Story (2019)
That's life
Spoilers ahead!
After hearing many good things about this film, and being quite interested in the subject - I've watched it with high expectations. Let me say - this is a very, very honest film. For as long as I can remember having opinion about film as an art form, I cherish movies that bring something personal and human to the screen. Most contemporary films lack this aspect, thus, are almost unwatchable for me. Marriage story is a story about two people who no longer see a reason to be together. Some will argue: oh, but the child!
But, the children we raise to become persons for themselves - not to tie them to us forever. I think many couples forget that. Children will eventually leave home but spouses shall remain together - unless there is no reason. I understood perfectly when Nicole Said: "I will always love him." It's not a romantic love - it's love towards another person - a person with whom you shared a portion of your life, but you do not wish to share bed or dinner every night with anymore. That's life. I've had s relationship that ended this way - the guys was my first love, first everything, but, at one point it didn't make sense anymore. Divorce also happens without "obvious reasons" as some complained that this movie doesn't show us all the reasons. But, when you lose yourself, when you feel like it's about someone else rather than about the two of you, and to feel it constantly, it can be crushing. Had she stayed with him, I can even imagine the flame of envy starting to spark. Obviously she has no strenght to fight, he doesn't feel like he's doing anything wrong - there are no goodies and baddies here. You can argue: she should at least try! Or say: he is too self-absorbed!
In both cases you'd be right - but in everyday life this is what really happens on so many occasions. People will not fight because they've been feeling like this for a long time and at this point they just want their way out.
As you can probably guess by now I think psychologically this film is amazing, what bothers me is maybe too biased ending: her getting Tony nomination (I felt like it's there for pure female empowerment, when art isn't supposed to be gender's maid) and new boyfriend while the husband is moving to work in Los Angeles - I felt like maybe the film had more sympathy to her, but, okay. I guess that's Hollywood's toll on this film: that's what's keeping it too much on the Hollywood terms. I said this is an honest film: it's not melodramatic and romantic, it has many practical and everyday problems, thus, I felt it should've ended in the same manner. Also, it nods to the kafkaesque atmosphere of the courtrooms and legal battles as well as to the modern theatre life, which I think is very cool.
Overall, deserves a watch!
Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
Audience should think
Spoilers ahead, be aware
I cannot believe what this film wants to be. I am well aware that this movie already is a classic so I will not debate its classic-ness. One thing that really is amazing is Morricone's mesmerizing and nostalgic musical score. It touched me deeply. Cinematography is also very good - not great but very good, it helps in terms of building the atmosphere and all that. I guess this way of stroytelling is really popular both in literature and movies for the past 40 years, I can see why - it tries to challenge you sometimes, sometimes its merely a tool and sometimes... Well? It adds nothing. Like in this movie. If you are doing this type of storytelling - at least make your actors seem like they are the same age. Noodles (is this a reference to Leone's spaghetti westerns or what...) character has aged but Deborah has... Not? The first two hours of the film were actually really nice. The part when one of the gang members buys a cake for the prostitute lady then eats it himself is a successful attempt to show that this is just a young fella we're looking at - tempted more by the cookie than a... Well. You know. The problems start when Noodles gets out of the prison. Suddenly he's all set to be all brazen to Pesci character even thought he was not home for, what, ten years? But still acts as if he knows all about the business? The business they have developed while he was locked up? Oh, okay. I can suspend my belief that much. But then they go to actually do the business for the Pesci character and this guy abruptly rapes this girl that happens to be there? I do not have problem with watching this type of scenes - I know this happens and that mob is awful. Then this girl shows up at some party and shakes d...s of these guys as in "nice to meet you" and tells Noodles "I already know you" as if it doesn't really matter at all that he had raped her?? Knowing that she kisses Max and proceeds to become his wife??? Even though his best friend did that to her?? Ah yes, these people are awful but there's more. That very same night Noodles goes on an incredibly cheesy date with his long lost love Deborah - be aware: everything about this scene is cheesy - big ballroom just for them, akward dancing, "you'd put me in a cage and I wouldn't mind" dialogue LOL etc. Noodles says I waitef my whole life for this moment: the thought of you guided me in prison. Well, what thought exactly? Three minutes after she does not want to do it with him and he forces himself on her? Because why? He is drunk? He is crazy? Probably both? Now, if he is all of that: then the director should not try to make him come off as some sort of tragic hero or fallen angel. You should not force us to like him purely because he is the main character. You know a character is well written when you have no reason to like them (director doesn't shove you with his face and remorse as an old man, looking at her pics all sad bla bla) but you still do. Its a good thing to leave it to the audience to have their own opinion about this person. So when this happened in the movie I lost a great deal of will to watch it. Leone wants us to care about this person but why should we really? In Goodfellas, for example, you know that Liota is bad, Pesci is a bad guy - you know but even then you have your private thoughts about the character and you may find sympathy for them, someone may not and that is also okay. I don't know if it's because De Niro is playing this person but even the last shot - De Niro grinning like in Taxi driver is telling us: "Hey, this guy is our tragic hero. Trust us!" Now come on. I actually love naturalistic sequences in movies - they can be really raw and touching but stop bullying us into liking someone instead of approaching us with: hey, he's done this and this and this and this too: but you decide if you still like him. For example there are some nasty characters both in film and literature (for example Rogozhin in the novel Idiot or Stansfield in The professional) that I really love even when there's no objectively good reason behind it - I just feel sympathy for them and about them. This really annoyed me and pushed me to give this movie 3/10. The pace, cinematography, music - its all really good for me, also the atmosphere of early New York is good - but when the director bullies you, alnost makes you feel as if you're obliged to like his protagonist - that is the biggest downer of all. I also find it funny how a lot of people complain that this movie drags slowly: that just proves you haven't watched a lot outside of american cinema I guess.