Cinematic experiences
Dear all,
The films and series below are chronologically recently seen. However, this list is still being developed and I should say it is my way of bringing some art and creativity in my life.
It is my way of expressing thoughts, moods and feelings.
And it feels good to share it.
The films and series below are chronologically recently seen. However, this list is still being developed and I should say it is my way of bringing some art and creativity in my life.
It is my way of expressing thoughts, moods and feelings.
And it feels good to share it.
List activity
508 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
40 titles
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyAndrea EckertA young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.A cinematic beauty. This great film is all about feelings. And dialogue.
And it all felt actually familiar. Oh, how I am thankful for not seeing it some years ago when I first tried to. What a precious experience it is to resonate with a film, with a story, with life.
Tender and nostalgic.
I am a Céline, I have had my Jesses. Is this wisdom? - DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsBill MurrayScarlett JohanssonGiovanni RibisiA faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.Have you got films reserved for some indefinite time to come when you are in a peculiar state of mind, hungry for a particular but not definitive feeling?
This is one for me.
'Lost in Translation' by Sofia Coppola is so emblematic with its Tokyo and early 2000s setting and time. The film's mood felt curiously and perfectly as monotony, depression, and at the same time revival, a tender wake-up call for the beauty of life's horizons and the existence of soulmates.
Life-changing encounters, soulful conversations, departures...There is something so empowering about it as if the whole meaning of everything true and personal beyond normalities and practicalities comes to this. To have one encounter like this with someone really seeing through you. Cosmic... - CreatorIsabel CoixetStarsLaia CostaGuillermo PfeningThony ThornburgA pair of food lovers develop a relationship after meeting on a mobile app.¡Qué maravillosa pizca de vida real con sus raridades y cosas pequeñas, y cosas espectaculares!
Una serie tierna y especial.
What a marvellous mixture of real life with its rarities, and little things, and spectacular things!
A tender and special series.
An intimate series. A delight. You quielty hop into the screen, into the story, into the feelings, past and now forming. Oh, and the soundtrack...Spanish, French, Italian...what more could you wish for? - StarsAlexander DreymonEliza ButterworthArnas FedaraviciusAs Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred--born a Saxon but raised by Vikings--seeks to claim his ancestral birthright.Here below are a few words of a newly found but already true arseling:
'The Last Kingdom' is an epic of old times when the history of two peoples, Saxons and Danes, and of a country, England, was being written. Of what I have seen in earlier reviews of the show, it is largely compared to other bigger productions, namely 'Game of Thrones' and 'Vikings'. I am sure though that each and every fan has felt that this series has something different, it has its very own atmosphere and quite particular presence. To me, although it depicts tumultuous events like invasions, battles, killings, and intrigues, it is a friendly show and that is thanks to its characters and the marvellous work of the actors and the whole crew. What's more, the show has a rather international team and this creates a sense of open-mindedness, unity and acceptance. Frequently, in posts on social media, in interviews and on the recent TLK podcast, actors share that there is great trust among them.
TLK has its fair share of realism, nothing is too grand or impossible and this makes it even humble. Nowadays shows in this genre are anything but humble. And that is its enormous charm, and that is what makes it stand out!
And, of course, a post or review on TLK could not go without a word of Uhtred. I have seen a lot of films and series, I adore cinema!, but these days I am thinking that I have never ever thought about a character this way - if I could, I would follow this character, this man in his dealings with life and destiny, I would walk side by side with him. He has such good features and Alexander Dreymon surely embodying them and bringing them to life (or to screen) so convincingly is remarakble. I say, Praise God for creating people with beauty and talent like his.
The end note, what other than, 'Destiny is all!' - CreatorMeriç AcemiStarsAlina BozMert YaziciogluKubilay AkaIn 1990s Turkey, a group of teenage outcasts band together to make their beloved teacher fall in love so she'll have a reason to stay in town with them.Who wouldn't be pleased to view the Bosphorus, in summer?
To me, what is to be truly acknowledged about this series is the strong chemistry between Kaan Urgancıoğlu and Pinar Deniz - it is naturally ostensible and pleasant to experience; and her heroine's life choices about pursuing independence and courageously defending the school's 'black sheep' - such an idealistic woman, voicing her opinion, in Turkey, in the 90s - that alone is already a breakthrough! - CreatorChris LangNoémie SaglioStarsZita HanrotSabrina OuazaniJoséphine DraïElsa, a Parisian, cannot forget her ex. Her best friend secretly hires an escort boy to help her move on but the plan works a little too well.First of all, you should know that European series and films do appeal to me tremendously a lot. And this series appears to have a perfect recipe for me - French, Parisian vibe, a funny trio of women friends, trivial matters of the heart: love, friendship, disappointment, doubt, hope.
Oh, how I wish to take a walk in the Parisian streets! - CreatorDarío MadronaCarlos MonteroStarsOmar AyusoItzan EscamillaMina El HammaniWhen three working-class teenagers begin attending an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students leads to murder.Well, I have no different opinion than the world here - I love the kids ! Who have I been rooting for? Nadia and Guzman since the very first appearance of theirs on the show.
- CreatorLaurie NunnStarsAsa ButterfieldGillian AndersonNcuti GatwaA teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.This British series is charming, feel-good, and pleasantly quirky! The audience is bound to experience good writing and good acting. I, as a viewer, thrived observing Gilian Anderson's elegant poise and sophisticated manners.
- DirectorHans WeingartnerStarsMala EmdeAnton SpiekerArndt Schwering-SohnreyTwo university students, Jule and Jan, leave Berlin together in an old camper on a road trip south, but for different reasons.Oh, what a subtle delight! I was travelling with my whole being with these two young people, peers of mine actually. To whoever has had international experiences in their youth, this film will for sure remind you of them in a most dear way. Moreover, it tackles philosophical categories and involves debating on them, hence, your personal way of thinking and holding opinions is engaged throughout the film.
- DirectorLeigh WhannellStarsElisabeth MossOliver Jackson-CohenHarriet DyerWhen Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.To my mind, this film intriguingly brings together two themes that are not generally thought to have much in common, namely domestic violence and hich tech.
It is fiction after all, or is it? - CreatorDan GoorMichael SchurStarsAndy SambergStephanie BeatrizTerry CrewsComedy series following the exploits of Det. Jake Peralta and his diverse, lovable colleagues as they police the NYPD's 99th Precinct.This series is way beyond 'noice.smort' and 'cool.cool.coolcoolcoolcoolcoolcool', everybody! It is truly friendly and a trustworthy ailment to whatever negativism might crawl over and inside you, plus you are bound to have some genuine LOLs.
- CreatorJoe PenhallStarsJonathan GroffHolt McCallanyAnna TorvIn the late 1970s, two FBI agents broaden the realm of criminal science by investigating the psychology behind murder and end up getting too close to real-life monsters.I would rather define this series as slow-paced but awfully gripping at the same time. A significant term in criminal psychology and techniques such as criminal profiling are coined and used right before your eyes. The dawn of criminal psychology itself in the States is on. Overall, I got the feeling, especially in the first season, that every episode had its precisely measured added value to the revolutionising project at hand in the series. In addition, it is always pleasure to see the status quo being challenged in an intelligent way.
- CreatorSue TenneyStarsMartin HendersonBenjamin HollingsworthAlexandra BreckenridgeSeeking a fresh start, nurse practitioner Melinda Monroe moves from Los Angeles to a remote Northern California town and is surprised by what and who she finds.I admit I chose it as background while I was busy minding other matters, but, oh, what a surprise! This series is so cosy! I was lucky that it was gloomy and raining outside and 'Virgin River' simply called for wrapping myself in a blanket, getting a hot cocoa, and thus comfortably nestled, I enjoyed it. So would you!
- CreatorEmilie Lebech KaaeAdam PriceStarsDavid StakstonJonas Strand GravliHerman TømmeraasA small Norwegian town experiencing warm winters and violent downpours seems to be headed for Ragnarok -- unless someone intervenes in time.After 'Skam' (the original!) I happily follow teen dramas from Norway. 'Ragnarok' will pick your interest in Scandinavian culture, if not picked already. The dance scene with its inhuman elements and the scene where Saxa speaks to Magne in Old Norse are quite interesting, something makes them stand out.
- DirectorRanda HainesStarsWilliam HurtMarlee MatlinPiper LaurieA new speech teacher at a school for the deaf falls in love with the janitor, a deaf woman speechless by choice.I was astonished how I had never come across this film! It masterfully presents you with themes to dwell upon and analyze, and write about long after the film is over.
- DirectorGuillaume GiovanettiÇagla ZencirciStarsDamla SönmezErkan Kolçak KöstendilEmin Gürsoy25-year-old Sibel lives with her father and sister in a secluded village in the mountains of Turkey's Black Sea region. Sibel is a mute, but she communicates by using the ancestral whistled language of the area. There she crosses path with a fugitive. Injured, threatening and vulnerable, he is the first one to take a fresh look at her.This film has a theme or two in common with the film above, namely social acceptance and the fight for personal independence.
You should constantly have at the back of your mind the setting - a Turkish village, conventional rigid traditions, the absurd importance of 'what will people say', and now place a different girl, an extraordinary one actually, in this setting. The tiny but firm gesture of hers lifting up her sister's chin in the penultimate scene speaks enough. - DirectorDrake DoremusStarsNicholas HoultLaia CostaDanny HustonIn contemporary Los Angeles, two millennials navigating a social media-driven hookup culture begin a relationship that pushes both emotional and physical boundaries.I am a fan of Drake Doremus' work. Love for Nicholas Hoult. Love for Laia Costa.
A film close to, a film taken from the real life of the modern generation. Online dating, random sex, illusionary 'no strings attached', painful experiences in the past, fear - to love, to be exposed, to be loved = a modern couple's ordeals. - DirectorSusan JohnsonStarsBel PowleyNathan LaneWilliam MoseleyA person of high intelligence struggles to make sense of the world as it relates to morality, relationships, sex, and leaving her apartment.The bright side of this film is its sweet and not pretentious way to make you smile and laugh. I literally kept on smiling throughout the whole run, on and on. I also laughed quite whole-heartedly on several occasions. I even had some tears emerging in my eyes at the very end. Notwithstanding, it is not a film that is to stay in your mind and ferment so that something greater appears, no, but it is a film to make you feel good about life at present.
Plus, going back to 19 could be a revelation. - DirectorBrett MorgenStarsJane GoodallHugo Van LawickHugo Eric Louis van LawickThe life and work of the renowned primatology scientist, Jane Goodall, especially on her research about chimpanzees.A delightful film! The authentic camera material is so good that from the very start you are walking right behind Jane, and it is wild and it is green all around you. You have been transcended...
Jane Goodall is a fine lady, a pioneer, and a person who had found her true calling at an early age and dedicated her whole life to it. This is rare and therefore to be awed at.
It is uncommon for me to go for documentaries. Well, I believe it is high time I did more and this film did remind me of that. - DirectorOzan AçiktanStarsDilan Çiçek DenizMetin AkdülgerTevfik KartalA romantic story of two strangers who come across each other on a journey from Ankara to Izmir.Yes, it is a recently watched film; but no, not exactly a favourite. However, the idea of two young people meeting on a train and forming a special bond touches the soul in a way. These two are equally hurt and bitterly disappointed with their ex lovers, and they are going to attend a wedding, their ex lovers' wedding. And here the story unfolds and revelations are made, wounds are open, wounds are healed.
On the plus side, Metin Akdülger is nice to watch. A Turkish delight!
The end scene with its reference to 'Jules et Jim' and the song 'Le Vent Nous Portera' in the background which is a favourite of mine since I heard it in 'Les beaux jours' with splendid Fanny Ardant were the life savers for this film, in my humble opinion. - CreatorScott FrankAllan ScottStarsAnya Taylor-JoyChloe PirrieBill CampOrphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.From my watching 'The Queen's Gambit' onwards when I think of symmetry I will undoubtedly think of it. This piece is so good on so many levels. It's chess and a master skill in the center of it all, it's complex on its own, and yet the true complexity of the story is visible from the very start - in the troubled and distinct face of young Beth, and builds up as skillfully as her chess playing does. My inner thirst for intelligent suspense is beyond quenched!
- CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsNicole KidmanHugh GrantNoah JupeA modern twist to a classical "whodunnit" tale, when the life of a wealthy New York therapist turns upside down after she and her family get involved with a murder case.Oh, my! This is another intense cinematic experience brought by Susanne Bier. It is of course way glossier than my Dogme favourites of Bier's 'Open Hearts', 'Brothers' and 'After the wedding'. But its dramatic intensity comes to the eternal question of the complexity of human nature and relations, and Bier is a master at it.
Satisfying interpretation, 'The Undoing'. - CreatorDavid E. KelleyStarsReese WitherspoonNicole KidmanShailene WoodleyThe apparently-perfect lives of upper-class mothers of students at a prestigious elementary school unravel to the point of murder when a single mother moves to their quaint California beach town.'Big Little Lies' is a series filled with outstanding performances. Both by grown-ups and kids. Outstanding. Simply a mastery. Period.
And yet, a tiny part of me considered it a bit over estimated. Maybe because I did not fully, intuitively sympathise with any of the characters - all are complex, breathing and with a soul, yes, but it is the actors and their greatness per se that I was in awe of. My inner critic could not naturally enter the bubble life of the women in the series and the knowledge of sheer social inequality outside of it prevented me from sympathising. Nevertheless, love for Kidman and Skarsgård. Tall and beautiful, they exuberate superiority. To me, that is a fair reason why their relationship was so impactful for the story on screen. Love for Nicole and Meryl - 'master communicators of human condition'.
The pastel color palette, the silent presence of the sea and 'Cold Little Heart' that has nestled in my mind for thoughtful days are details to appreciate. - DirectorEmerald FennellStarsCarey MulliganBo BurnhamAlison BrieNothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be - she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a secret double life. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs from the past.'Promising Young Woman' is a film that you must take seriously. Its tone and taste while watching do not suggest this right away. The themes, though, of justice and revenge are eternal and served boldly afresh by Emerald Fennell (writer.director.w.o.m.a.n.).
Is it worth to live a life under the influence of the past and someone else's past? How is satisfaction with your life actually measured? Carey Mulligan makes us totally believe it is worth it as long as you have determined your life purpose (even if it might not appear so) and remain devoted to it...at odd and even slightly malevolent costs. This is satisfaction. Getting justice is satisfaction.
I as a woman in a modern world did rejoice in seeing the film male characters' being uncomfortable, their dispair and boneless behaviour being oddly satisfactory. A woman directing a situation = a woman in control is a nice sight.
'Careful how you go', boys. - DirectorSonia Liza KentermanStarsDimitris ImellosTamilla KoulievaThanasis PapageorgiouThe bank threatens Nikos to repossess his tailor shop and his father fall ill. Nikos with a tailor shop on wheels, reinvents himself while bringing style and confidence to the women of Athens.Oh, what a simple and beautiful story 'Tailor' tells!
I saw it at SIFF 2021 (Sofia International Film Fest) and somehow felt nostalgic about those good times in my early university days when I would experience utter excitement for going to the cinema and seeing a festival film.
The Greek 'Tailor' is overall a quiet film as is its protagonist. He is quirky, pedantic and good-hearted. We as an audience witness his creative adapting to an already changed professional medium a bit forcefully but what comes out of it is his true self and calling.
Finding who you are and where you belong no matter of age and circumstances is the essence of existence.