Reviews

This film is fascinating. I kept expecting the little hero to stand for himself and I wanted the little hero to teach the bully a lesson. But it is way deeper than that. Kees tries. The world is full of bullies and he is just a little guy who is trying to understand and does not know what to say or do in these situations. Kees can't defend himself. I wish his parents would teach him how to defend himself. Film is very deep and makes you think abut emotions and feelings and touches you inside. This film took me back into my own childhood for a moment to relive the memories. Emotions and feelings are so complicated and it takes us years to understand ourselves. This film is a beautiful cinematic poem and its so heartbreaking.

As I was watching the film, I did not think much of it in the beginning but as the film progressed, I was totally amazed. Fassbinder does so much with the camera and sound. It is the kind of film which can start touching your own feelings. You get absorbed into the film so much that when you cant hear the sound in one scene you start to panic. That is the essence of great cinema.

I was introduced to Holodomer lately in 2019 by an event in my library in San Francisco, I was blown away by the mass murder of Ukrianians when I saw a documentary about Holodomer. I am so glad that I saw this movie Bitter Harvest. It opened my eyes to the cruelty in this world and what people had to sacrifice for freedom. We should be thankful for the freedom we enjoy in this world. For some people it is hard indeed. Please watch this film and educate yourself and read more about Holodomer.

This film was a really good horror film. The director has great storytelling talent. Film had a nostalgic feeling because it was shot with 8mm camera. It felt real and I was totally blown away by the birds when they were hitting themselves to the windows and killing themselves and then eating the dead birds. That froze my mind. It was scary. The found footage genre do not give you enough room to explore the different point of views of other characters except the one holding the camera but this film was very well done and it reminded me of another film which I saw, House of Temptation.

I went to see this movie in "Another Hole in the Head' film festival. My thoughts were that it would be a typical horror film which it was not. It has some great visual effects and also the director describing how the set was built for this movie was quite interesting. The music was great and you get really scared while watching this film.

I was hoping for something good by Sebastian Lellio after watching 'Fantastic Woman' in a theatre couple of months ago. This was a disaster and not enough story to make a film out of it. The editing of this film did not make any sense. One star for the cinematography.

I really wanted to like this film and I knew nothing about the real cop Serpico. The film grabbed me when I saw a cop was shot. The scene with a cop running down to help the woman being brutalized by three men touched my heart. I was curious to know more about this character. But then I see Al Pacino dancing like a crazy man with other women at a party while his girlfriend was in that same party , it threw me out of the picture. He was not a sympathetic character anymore. The women in the film had no character development. They were in the story for no reason and we keep seeing Al Pacino as a crazy man fighting and screaming at fellow cops and other characters for no reason. I was not shown any internal struggle of this character to relate to him. Al Pacino did not act like a character which I can feel for. Martin Bergman in the commentary says that Al Pacino cares more about the character and less about story. I was shocked to know that. Probably Al Pacino kept doing whatever he felt was right in his head, about this character and the director just let him do whatever he wanted to do. All the other characters in the film were sincere with their roles and played their part well as cops except for Al Pacino. Its time that Al Pacino start caring about the story. Story is above the characters. In different scenes he looked like an addict and crazy man. I needed a reason to understand his character. Four stars for the beautiful cinematography and all the other actors in the film who were true to their acting. I feel sorry for the real cop Serpico who's struggles were not portrayed well by actor and director and who was told not to come to the set anymore.

Dear Damien, I really had great expectations for this film. I waited for a year to see this film. I was so excited that I walked ten minutes in the rain to go see this film. I am going to tell you what I felt about the film as I watched your film, so that you can learn something from my letter.

I was very happy to see the initial traffic jam and the first song. I was thrilled to see what happens next? As soon as the film started, I started to feel there was no story line to keep me interested. There were no plot points. Who wrote this script? I could not relate to Emma Stone's character because there was nothing to look forward to regarding her goal. She was just an aspiring actress who was lost in Los Angeles failing auditions. Whats interesting about that? The film was dis-jointed. It was a big mess.

The biggest mistake you made was to cast Ryan Gosling. This actor's face is bland. He is probably angry with someone on the set and it shows on his face. This guy has no expressions on his face. He has no idea how to act in certain scenes. He just keeps his face expression-less so that nobody can relate to him in the film. Deborah Aquila should have helped you find a better actor. Who selected Ryan's wardrobe? There was nothing interesting about his bland clothes to go with the musical. His emotions on his face do not match the flow of the story. Ryan, you are not a face for musical or romance or hero for a romantic comedy. You are a face of a villain or a boxing film. You should do those films. The way the director have these two characters meet is so weak. There was nothing romantic about how they meet. Emma Stone is a good actress but she kept (emotionally)staring in space in lot of scenes which were not removed in editing and it affected her performance. Acting with Ryan Gosling also affected her performance. There was one scene in the film where she goes and stands right in front of movie theater full of audience and nobody reacts or shouts as she stands in front of all of this audience while movie is playing. How unbelievable!

I wanted to like something something in this film. I tried very hard. I wanted to like a scene where they are about to hold hands in movie theater but even Damien ruined that romantic scene by doing something stupid. I wont forgive you for that. Then someone gave you a museum to shoot in. You should have made best use of those scenes but you did not. There was nothing exciting about it. There were sound problems with car horns. It was so loud that I had to put fingers in my ears. Out of the blue an African American guy (John Legend) gives Ryan a deal and music contract. There was no development for that plot point. Damien you need to really work hard on screen writing skills. I wonder who gave you money to make this film for such a weak screenplay. At one point the African American guy says to Ryan.. you are pain in the as. Ryan! honestly you are pain in the ....

I, so badly wanted to like this film and wanted some scene to touch me but when that moment came where Emma is called back for an audition. I thought she will tell her own story which was so powerful, she tells some aunt's story which made no sense to the story line. What a disaster! Emma says at the end...It hurts a little bit. You know what, I am hurt. I need Damien Chazelle and Ryan Gosling to send me apology letter for making such a bad film which I had to go and see . I was in tears when I left the theater. I am sure you will read this and you know where to write me. My IMDb email address. Best Regards, Z

Here is another beautiful film by Mira Nair who made 'Monsoon Wedding'. The cinematography captures the true colors and life in a slum of Uganda, Africa. The characters were really believable and the acting was excellent. Madina Nalwanga's acting was very convincing and true to her heart. She understands how to portray her emotions in front of the camera. The children in the film were brilliant and all the cast gave good performances. Some scenes were heartbreaking and moving. Mira Nair directs her actors with great skill and confidence which is visible on the screen. Its really beautiful to experience another culture and I was very happy to experience Uganda. A big congrats to Mira Nair for a good film. I met Mira Nair few years ago when she came to San Francisco for a film premiere. She was very nice and sweet lady.

I really liked Aaron Taylor Johnson in this film. Its so hard to play villain and negative characters when you do not look like a negative person. Usually people are type- cast for these kind of roles but I was just surprised to see how Aaron owned his character. He was not trying too hard to play this character, he just got under the skin of this character. When you see him first time in the film he does not look like he is a bad person. He just seems to be fooling around with this family but as the story progresses, his inner nature is revealed. Good actors need good characters for them to shine. Would love to work with Aaron Taylor Johnson some day. Armie Hammer was not bad either.

I had not read anything about this film and I went to see 'Lion' yesterday. I was moved, I was shocked. I had tears in my eyes and the hair on my skin stood up. I could listen to my own heart beats while watching this film. It has never happened to me before when I saw a film and I was touched immensely. The film took me back to my roots and streets where I grew up. I am from Pakistan and I have been living in San Francisco for the last 15 years. I come from that part of the world where this story takes place. I grew up in streets like the streets of the movie 'Lion'. I have met many children who collect garbage to make a living and are lost in the streets of this universe. They sleep alone on card board boxes at night and when you look at them , there is a question in their eyes. The world has forgotten about these children and there are thousands of these children on the streets of India and Pakistan. Do you really know what it feels like when you are only 5 years old and lost in some crowded street in a big city and do not know how to get home? To the boy who played Saroo (Sunny Pawar), I want to give you an Academy Award. The film grabs you from the beginning as it starts out with showing a beautiful relationship between two brothers who are running on a train track. The actress who played mother (Priyanka Bose)touched my heart. Her performance is breathtaking. The way she looks at her sons, shows you how a mother pours her heart with love when she looks at her children. There are no words to express that feeling and actress gave her full self and emotions to play this role from young to old. It is commendable and her acting moved me and reminded me of my own mother. There are so many things which I think my mother does not know about me but the way she looks at me, I know she knows.

Lost Saroo looks around for Guddu at the dark train station and then looks for Guddu everywhere, in his thoughts for the rest of his life. What a beautiful role of Guddu played by Abhishek Bharate and what a promising actor! There were some real gripping performances in this film by actors which had only small roles in the film but they left their mark and touched me. I want to give a big hug to Garth Davis for choosing these powerful actors and giving them a chance to express their emotions. I must mention Tannishtha Chattergee, who knew her character and made a mark with just two scenes. Now that's called Actor.

I have always seen Nicole Kidman in great grandeur roles. But I was shocked to see her in 'Lion'. A small role with few scenes. She gave herself all. Her performance in Lion is heartfelt. The cinematographer was able to capture her emotions and her heart on the big screen. David Wenham, plays the part of father to Saroo with amazing acting skills and warmth. Dev Patel, you did a good job.I want to give a big salute to all the filmmakers and actors who were involved in making this film. You have done an exceptional job and gave me something which will be in my mind and heart for a very long time. If any actors or filmmakers want to reach out to me please email at hassanzee-at-gm-ail

I saw the film at Another Hole in the Head Festival and was quite impressed. This film depicts the true culture of Filipino people. The director of the film was present at the screening and it was very interesting to understand the history of making of this film. For such a modest budget the director did a great job and the people who were involved in making this film put their hearts into it. It took them four years to make this film which is a great accomplishment. The characters are very strong and the story is told in a fashion that it makes you feel wanting to know more and keep the suspense while you are glued to your seat. The visual effects in this film are superb.

I wanted to see Joseph Gorden- Levitt's movie Don Jon, because I saw him in 'Mysterious Skin' directed by Gregg Araki. Joseph was good when he was young. He really knew how to act and he would put emotions in the character which would make you cry. But I was totally disappointed at Joseph in this character in Don Jon. He forgot how to act. He thought that he could really play a New Yorker and Italian plus Joseph, comedy is really hard. You are not a comedy actor. Why would you choose to write and direct and then you wanted to be a lead actor in it too. There was no real plot in the film and actors were just superficial and there was nothing natural about them. There was vulgar sex like every 10 minutes as if that was the way to keep audience engaged. Scarlett Johansson was struggling to produce New Yorker accent and I don't really care about her acting anyways. I don't know who wanted to put money into this film. Ryan Kavanaugh kept putting money into bad films that's why he is bankrupt.

This review is for David Russell to read and the studios who provide million of dollars to produce a film which is not worthy of any award and not worthy of even producing. We do not get the sense of real story but forced into stylistic directing and a big mess made with million of dollars spent for nothing. I could get that there was lot of comedy in the screenplay but the director did not know how to direct the scenes so that when people watch it ,they could laugh.

Story: The film started out with the grandma telling the story. I was forced to look at the story from grandmother's point of view which was not really a big part of the film. Grandma had no role in who Joy was and her journey.It was a character which David thought would save the film in editing, but it did not. People are way smarter than you think. It seems like millions of dollars were spent to work days and days to shoot this film with director not really interested in the screenplay itself and after shooting the film, realizes that how he is going to create a film out of this big mess which he shot.

Robert DeNiro: Robert is a good actor but I could see that he did not read the whole screenplay. Whenever you see him in the scene he is in, I could feel that he has no sense of his own character development in the story. All of his scenes had no cohesion. His acting in one scene is way off than his next scene. He is a divorced man who still lives in a basement of her daughter but he has not learned his lesson. I get that, what writer wanted to say, but the way character was portrayed was not believable. If DeNiro had read his full screenplay, then he could understand this character before playing it. It was Russell's job to make him read his screenplay. Him dating this new woman and every scene she was in made no sense.

Bradley Cooper: OMG. I had some hopes for this guy after watching "American Sniper". But again he did not read the whole screenplay. He was totally out of character. His total focus was to play the role as seducer to Jennifer Lawrence. In his first scene when I saw him , I could see it in his eyes that he is just playing with Jennifer Lawrence on set without really caring about his character. Audience is not stupid. We can see what actor is doing on screen.If he has done his homework or not and if he is just seducing other women on set. Seems like David just brought you on set for few days and shot some of your scenes without really making you understand where this character is coming from.

Jennifer Lawrence: Okay Jennifer! you are a good actress but you better choose and think carefully who you want to work with. Don't just accept roles because you worked with someone else before and they sent you a new screenplay. Film industry is brutal and if you do not pick your films wisely, you will be forgotten easily. I thought you were the only one in the film who understood the struggles of this woman Joy and you were true to the character. But how much can you do when other stars have not done their homework. You cannot make a good film by yourself. So you don't get an Oscar either because you pick wrong movies to work in.

I saw the film and thought that the director Tom Hooper(The King's Speech) did not understand the character of Lili. In the beginning we see Einar(Eddie Redmane) as a happy and successful painter living with his wife and we have no idea that he is a transgender. I found that out when his wife puts make up on him and he puts on women's clothes. Thats where the problem started for me. People who are transgender or gay/lesbian donot become transgender if someone else puts lipstick on their lips or get them to wear female clothing. They are human beings going through the identity issues since childhood. They live a very depressed life and they are little different than normal people. I wish the director had done some homework and met some of these people to know what they went through. Neither did the actor Eddie Redmane made the effort to meet some transgender people and do some research. Actors get the script and they just jump into playing a role without doing homework.

I was trying to like the film but when the wife gets him ready to go to the party and dresses him as a woman and then later she gets really upset and mad because another man was sitting with Lily and getting close, it totally threw her off. That does not make any sense. The wife made her husband vulnerable and now she is all upset. Lily says at one point she believes she is a woman inside and wife says that she believes it too. How can she believe that, she is not the one going through these feelings and emotions which Lily is experiencing. Then Lily was crying so hard when he was about to get the surgery but right before that scene he was all happy with the surgery. The actors did put some emotions into the film but the story was not developed and we did not have any antagonist. Eddie Redmane is a good actor as I saw him in 'The Theory of Everything'. He should be selective of roles and must do home work and research if he takes on to do these important characters.

I am giving it 3 stars because the cinematography was beautiful and Alicia Vikander and Amber Heard had some good talent which can be utilized in another stronger film.

Saw this beautiful little film. In the beginning I saw a woman with her dog on the bed. Then I find out that dog is sick and has to be put to sleep so I was thinking where this movie is going? Then suddenly I was engaged into the story of this older woman who is living a retired life and she just takes it, what life brings to her. It was actually very interesting and I could relate to it because I have a friend Julie who had a dog as her best friend for years and then she had to put her to sleep because her dog got really old and could not walk anymore. Danning then meets this guy who comes to clean her pool. It was so interesting to see that they just did not fall in love. It was a platonic relationship and they just enjoyed this friendship on this journey of life. Not every man which comes in her life is going to be her boyfriend. We meet people along the way and we give them chances and thats what I liked about this film. Its so simple story and so beautifully told and so close to life. This character just takes what life gives it to her and she is content with it. Danning gave a great performance and the pool guy was a good actor. I liked the daughter with her innocent face and acting skills. The scene where mother and daughter talk after such a long time made me cry.

Saw 'Black Mass' today and enjoyed the film very much. I liked Johnny Depp for the first time for a character he chose to perform and showed his real talent and proved that he is a good actor. He has been doing all these crazy Pirates movies and never looked at him as an actor with substance who is careful of picking his roles. But Johnny Depp has proved that he can give a great performance once again. He can be a great antagonist who you can root for. Usually in a movie like this , director forgets that people want to relate to someone. I could totally relate to Whitey Bulger as a father and a guy who loves and gets along with his family including his mother and brother. That made me totally root for him but at the same time I know that this character is a monster and he will meet his fate and get caught. I thought Scott Cooper truly did a great job by bringing all these stories together into a cohesive plot. I could totally relate to the character of young man in the beginning who was hit by a bunch of guys and slowly I was introduced to Whitey. The actor Joel Edgerton totally stole the show. Every scene he was in, he put his heart and soul into it. I know Johnny Depp did a phenomenal job but I thought Joel totally surprised me by his performance. He should be nominated for an Oscar for such a brilliant performance and win.

Scott Cooper! I congratulate you for doing such a great job for making a film which gives me hope that Hollywood can still put money behind good films. Do not pay any attention to all these people who only want to see cinema just in one way. They just want to see one character on the screen all the time and if you don't give them that , they get lost and complain about character development because Hollywood has trained their mind to look at films just in one way. You told the story in such a great way that it all made sense. You brought in the characters into the plot where they were needed and you just gave enough character development so that I could relate to them but at the same time your film kept me glued to my seat with powerful storytelling, stunning cinematography, incredible music and a strong ending.

This film was the best film of this year. It was a simple story. Thank God,someone wrote a simple story with a heart. There are not too many films like this these days. Its a story of a simple Irish girl who follows her dreams to come to America and falls in love. She meets this Italian guy who totally loves her. The film gave me more understanding of Irish culture and how people were more thick skinned in the 50's. This is a universal film and anyone can relate to the film as we have all fallen in love and longed for beloved ones. I had my eyes filled with tears while watching intimate and emotional scenes in Brooklyn.Ahhh..loved it. The acting is superb and Soierse Ronan definitely deserves an Oscar for her powerful and amazing performance. This film will definitely be up for many Oscars for story, cinematography, music and acting.

One thing which I wanted to mention was (if the filmmakers see this), I felt that scene of Elise not opening her husband letters made me feel betrayed for one moment. I thought Elise would never do that. If she was just hiding her secret from her own town or she was afraid to tell anyone, it should have been mentioned by Elise as I was so much into this character that Elise, after going to Ireland and ignoring her husband's letters made me feel that she betrayed her true love. Although later I understood what she went through but I just could not imagine Elise betraying me. (hassanzee@gmail.com)

Jacob Tremblay was amazing actor in the film "Room", as he could really perform his role powerfully. I thought film had some good acting in it. The story was weak. I did want to get into the world of the kidnapper so that I could feel more for Ma and Jack.Why this kidnapper put them in this situation? That would have been more interesting. I was confined to this little room for more than 40 minutes of the film. Suddenly Ma decides that Jack has to help them get out of this situation. He was able to run away very easily and then the rest of the film was about their life at the grandparents. William Macy is a great actor but I don't know why he was needed in this role. He could have been a good kidnapper. Ma attempting suicide was not believable as no one who had been confined to a room would ever imagine committing suicide after what they both went through and were given a new life.

Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay were good as actors so I have some hope for them. Novels are whole different world from films.

What was this? I just saw Moonrise Kingdom. What has the world come to? I started watching the film and there is some talking about Music and Orchestra which has nothing to do with the story. Then I keep sitting and watching and hoping that I will relate to someone. None! Am I suppose to like the boy and the girl which have no expressions on their face? They are not like-able. It feels like director is trying to make fun of emotionless life in America. I keep thinking as I keep watching. Should I continue to watch this horrible boring movie which everybody is calling a new Style of film making? It feels like the director takes name actors (Who are out of Work) and tells them , hey I am making a movie and you just come and DO NOT ACT. Whatever the actors are trying to convey doesn't make sense. I keep watching and I am bored to death. It feels like Wes Anderson's target audience is under 10 years old. I have to call my 10 year old nephew tomorrow and ask him "What was this horrible expressionless film about with a bunch of kids running around?" He might be able to tell me. No More Wes Anderson For Me.

I saw the film Careful and I loved the cinematography of this film. So many different techniques of photography and color correction were used in the film. I learned more about German Expressionism. I feel that a lot of films stick with the three act structure but this was something different. It was unusual and beautiful. It has a strong story which deals with love and jealousy. A mother's love for the sons is explored in the form of art. I praise the filmmaker for being brave and daring to make a film like this. The actors were very strong and the story kept me intrigued along with the unusual and unique cinematography. Great Job!

I like Joseph Gordon Levitt. He is a good actor. Maybe one day I will work with him. The cinematography of the film was really beautiful. I loved the final scenes of the film which are breathtaking. I was on the edge of my seat and praying for Phillipe. It takes courage to do something like that. I mean if this story was real then Phillipe was a really brave person. Someone I met in the theatre said that there is a documentary about him. I will check out that documentary. I thought the title of the film was not very catchy, The Walk. It should have been 'The Devil Wire Walker'. That would catch a lot of attention. A good effort.

Mr. Tom Cruise, I just saw your movie Eyes Wide Shut. I know this film was directed by Stanley Kubrick, the master. The master has passed into spirit but I want to say something to you. Tom, your acting was so bad in this film that it made me cry. You really needed to understand this character. Stanley Kubrick did not understand this character but you are an actor and actors take months to understand their character. You did not know how to play a doctor because I am a doctor and I know I would never act or behave in cheap manners you did in the film. This character was a manipulator who is two faced. He is one face at home but another personality who is lustful and he is always trying to meet these women because he knows he can have them.He gets so excited about fulfilling his lustful dreams that he ends up in a wrong place. That's what this character was about. Get it! Tom Cruise you played this character flat. I was so bored. I was dying to see this two faced person but you did not think about this character and just played it with no homework. I read an interview of you with Peggy in Hollywood Reporter where you said, nothing is really happening for you. Hey if you start learning how to act, something might happen. Your film does not make any sense because of bad acting. Nicole Kidman overacted in this film so much that I would have to write a separate letter for her. If you want some acting lessons and understanding the character, have your agent call me. Thanks