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Reviews
The Believer (2001)
True Faith
I watched this movie on cable television. They always keep broadcasting the same things but i never grow tired of "The Believer". The Bulgarian translation is "Tvurda Vqra" - "True Faith".
Not that this is very appropriate because one of the main themes in the film is the inability of Danny to decide who he really is - a jew or a Nazi. The really strange thing is that he somehow manages to be both in the coarse of the entire film. And somehow it makes sense. I never really thought of this while i was watching. If someone had told me that this is possible i wouldn't have believed. But the director did a great job. He also wrote the screenplay. But the biggest surprise of all is the acting of Ryan Gosling.
He is brilliant in this film. I remember him since he was in this dumb teen TV show - "Breaker High". And i couldn't believe it's the same person. I still can't. And i heard he was in Mickey Mouse Club too. And still he is one of the greatest Young actors around - maybe second after Gael Garcia Bernal. His brilliant characterization is what makes Danny believable. He is to blame for carrying the whole massage of the film - unbelievable as it may seem. A Nazi Jew - who can play that? It's like a fascist hippie or a really calm and peaceful balkan. I bet he can't play the last one.
As a whole - a great film. Everything was really great, the cinematography (a little bit documentary style), especially the screenplay, the acting (i should mention Summer Phoenix). Watch it if you can. But it's definitely not for everybody. There are some really appalling scenes and the subject matter is not so usual. I have to say it really sparked my interest in Jewish history and Judaism.
An American Rhapsody (2001)
Behind The Curtain
I have watched this film numerous times on the cable televisions not because it's so good, but because it's not as bad as the other films they broadcast constantly. "An American Rhapsody" is an interesting movie but nothing more.
I watched it mainly because i heard Nasstasja Kinski was in it. I'm a big fan of hers but she isn't so great here and i think it's not her fault. It's the script actually. There's one awful moment in particular that i recall now and it always makes laugh but not because it's funny - it's really stupid actually. It's the scene where the little Zsuzsi says "shit" at the party, something that her sister has thought her - it's really one stupid and predictable situation and it's not funny at all. The conversations are also too standard sometimes and although the core story is really interesting i don't think the director has managed to justify it. I also didn't like Scarlett Johansson in the role of Zsuzsi. She is really boring in this film.
Nevertheless the film is still very interesting at times. As i've already said the core story is really good, there are several very good scenes, Nastassja Kinski is still very attractive, the girl that plays Zsuzsi as a kid is very sweet and fun to watch. I also liked the depiction of America in the 50's and also the life behind the Iron Curtain. There are still some very interesting ideas. I especially liked the scenes when Zsuzsi return to Hungary as a teenager and the story that her grandmother tells her, when she realizes what her mother went through to secure her a good life. But Johansson really wasn't for that part. I don't understand why didn't they get an Eastern European actress. It would have been so much easier and much more efficient. But you know - it's an American film after all.
Watch this film if you are in the mood of a good drama but don't really bother if you have something better to do.
Y tu mamá también (2001)
Deja Vu
There is a Bulgarian rap group called "Upsurt" and they made a song called "I tvoita maika sushto" (the Bulgarian translation of the title) which is dedicated or i even heard somewhere that the song is from the soundtrack of this movie. But since this is almost impossible, i'll accept that the song is just inspired by the film.
Nevermind. I just wanted to say that that's how i first heard of this movie. And i admit that i hadn't had big expectations before i saw it for the first time. As a matter of fact this first time i didn't actually watch the whole film 'cause my parents kept walking into the room and you know that you really shouldn't watch this film with your parents. But then i was alone at home one afternoon and i decided to try to watch it again and the least i can do is to tell you that i was pleasantly surprised.
I have watched "Y tu mama tambien" at least five times by now. It really shocked me how much the Mexican style of life resembles that of my country. What also shocked me is the fact that i was really experiencing some kind deja vu watching these two guys. It was like i was watching i film about me and my friends, only in Spanish. The funny thing is that the language is the only difference because the mentality, the way of talking, the dreams and hopes they have, are the same. I especially liked Julio because he somehow looks and lives the same way i do. So this film really stroke a chord on me (i'm not sure if that's the exact meaning of the expression).I was so repelled watching "Kids" for example, but somehow Julio and Tenoch seemed so innocent to me, even when they were masturbating by the pool. As I've already said the Mexican mentality somehow seems so close to me and i never really knew this before i watched this film. Now i feel like my ultimate dream is to go there.
As for the film itself, there's no point in telling you it's great. I'm sure that the people who would really like it, have already watched or intend to watch it in the future. If you are cool, at least by my standards, which means if you feel the highest point you can reach is freedom and if you are dedicating your life to get to that point, then don't waste your time - watch it. The film feels really liberating and is very sincere in its depiction of young people's lives, especially in Latin and in my opinion Balkan and even some arab countries. Also it deals the current iconomic and social realities in Mexico and with the problem of human sexuality too.
The acting is great, especially by one of the greatest young actors nowadays - Gael Garcia Bernal and also by Maribel Verdu. The story is simple and well written, the direction and cinematography are great too.
It's also a must-see for all of who are sick by the majority of American cinema nowadays.
Before Sunrise (1995)
Aha - So This is Love
That was the first thing that came into my mind just after i saw this film. They are right then - it's the greatest feeling of all. And it makes me a little bit sad because i once thought i was really in love too but it turns out that it was not a big deal at all - at least compared to the relationship between Jesse and Celine.
Of course i'm aware that such connection is actually really rare and it doesn't happen all the time and to everyone and yet it felt so real, especially compared to those idiotic Hollywood romantic comedies. The funny thing s that i think that "Befire Sunrise" is much more romantic than "You've Got Mail" for example. I find it even funnier that it's actually an American movie. But don't forget that it was shot in Europe.
Jesse is a young American who of course "don't speak any other languages" but is really charming and reminds of a Kerouac type of character, traveling around after a bitter break up with his girlfriend. Celine is french, also very charming, witty, sweet, vulnerable and a little bit neurotic and she is traveling to Paris where she studies in the Sorbonne. So they meet in the train to Vienna and after they talk for a while he persuades her to come with him and hang around the city. That's how one of the greatest love stories in the history of cinema begins(that's just my opinion of course).
Are they going to meet again after six months on 16 of December(my birthday actually). Are they going to get married, have children, grow old together and so on? You'll find out if watch the second part - "Before Sunset"(actually this sequel doesn't give all the answers but i assure you that it's simply great, maybe even better than the first film). And i assure you also that if you watch "Before Sunrise" and after a couple of days "Before Sunset", you'll have a great cinematic experience. I was really heartbroken after the end of the first film but you know - the ending can't be any other cause otherwise it could have become a standard American romantic movie, maybe not so dumb but not so great either. That was one of the very few movies when i was actually longing for a happy end. I was lucky that i saw it relatively late and i didn't have to Waite 9 years for the sequel.
What makes this film so great. Well first of all - Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy are simply amazing. The scene at the listening booth, the scene at the cemetery, the ending - they could have received an Oscar for any of this scenes alone. The direction is superb - to watch two young people walking around and talking and yet to feel so compelled. The cinematography is also very good. The script - i don't have words to tell you how great it is. Along with the scenes mentioned above i would like to mention a couple more too - the scene with the bum who writes poetry, very fascinating as an idea; the scene in the morning where they dance on the street and then when they rest and he impersonates Dylan Thomas. Oh please watch this film...or don't...I don't know. It's amazing but it's not for everybody. Personally i thought it was great.
Le dernier métro (1980)
In the time of war
Unfortunately i've seen only a couple of Truffaut's films but nevertheless i think i understand why is he so legendary. And i also understand why this film won 10 Cesars when it was released in 1980.
First of all - the actors. Catherine Deneuve is really great here and plus her role is very challenging because as Bernard says there are two women hiding inside Marion. At times she is so gentle and loving, especially towards her husband Lucas, and sometimes she's really arrogant and cold. In general her Marion is a very confused and stressed and in love at the same time, which makes her very her very hard to play but i think Catherine Deneuve did a magnificent job. The same can be said about Heinz Bennent in the role of Lucas but i don't think Depardieu is on the same level although there are several scenes where he's really great (at the rehearsal of the shouting scene and in the nightclub). At the same time i don't think it's his fault. I think that he actually has too little screen time and his character is not so fully developed.
The cinematography is great and the script too although i have some criticism (or maybe i just misunderstood some points). First of all i didn't understand how does Lucas realise that Marion is in love with Bernard. OK she kisses him after the premiere but even i didn't realise it was this kind of kiss and Lucas doesn't even see it 'cause he's in the basement. And there's one scene where she asks Bernard to sit next to her but Lucas is not there too. So how does he know? Am i missing something because it's not just a small detail, it's a major point. Nevermind, the film still has more meaning then a great deal of American nonsense.
And what i liked about it the most is the overall "in the time of war" atmosphere. During the whole film we can feel the tension, we can hear the radio broadcasts, we can see how the people are forced to hide whenever they hear the alarm and the electricity often goes out. Truffaut makes sure that whenever we start to feel safe, watching the rehearsals and observing the relationships inside the theater, something interrupts the relatively calm existence and reminds us that there's war outside. His direction is superb here as it was in "La peau Douce" - the other film i saw made by him. I of course i know these are not even among his best. But i can't really know that. All i know is that this film is really great and i enjoyed it very much.
The Dreamers (2003)
Hey Boy, Hey Girl
It's really fascinating to see that this kind of movies are possible - we just follow the three "dreamers" around, there's no actual storyline, there's no heroes and villains, there's no drama or car chases or whatever, and yet i never felt bored. On the contrary - i felt more immersed and thrilled than almost ever. Thank you senor Bertollucci.
This film has everything it takes to grab me immediately and make me watch it numerous times afterwords. There's Paris amidst my favorite time in history - the late 60's (the time for Change). The actors are really great too, especially Michael Pitt and even above him Eva Green. The numerous homages to the great classics, I find the "Bande a part" segment to be the best. The cinematography is very atmospheric and really right in its mood. And the thing that thrills me the most is the representation of sex, it's sincerity and the way it's photographed and orchestrated.
I don't know if it's offensive or not. I don't find it dirty or distasteful. Actually the relationship between the three lead characters seems really natural and pure, even though two of them are brother and sister. When sex finally happen, it seems as the most logical thing. Eva Green is gorgeous as Isabelle. Sometimes she looks very sweet and vulnerable and sometimes she is very cocky and self-confident. I find her Isabelle the richest of the characters and the most realistic one. I like Michael Pitt too, but Louis Garrel is not on the same level or at least i find him not really likable(not only his character in the film). As a whole it's really a non-conformist relationship between the three of them. I mean it's free of any constrains and role-playing and the whole men-women usual relationship pattern. Free Love - The Spirit of the 60's.
For those who are easily insulted by nudity - avoid this film. Personally i find it kind of refreshing. Not that i'm dying for it, but i really don't understand why is that in mainstream cinema male nudity is really a rare case. I was quite shocked when a saw Michael Pitt's penis but afterwords i asked myself why is that. After all it's a perfectly normal thing. That's what i meant when i said that sex is presented really sincerely. There was no "Nine and a half Weeks" kind of crap. Just perfectly normal sex. And it helped. It felt refreshing and liberating. You can't say it's like "in the movies".
As a whole the film also felt really liberating. You should watch it with an open mind. But if you are one of those conservative and narrow-minded viewers who would see it only to be able to criticize it later, don't bother.
La double vie de Véronique (1991)
Mesmerizing...
I don't now how to start. Should i start with the music? Should I start with this red-haired angel Irene Jacob, oh god i think i love her. Or should i start with the cinematography and the direction by this genius "gospodin" Kieslowski? The film is brilliant, there's no doubt about it. It's mesmerizing and that's really something for me because i can't remember another film i've seen that i can use this word about or maybe just a couple and they are almost all by David Lynch. No, i don't compare this film to Lynch's but they have something in common. They all look like dreams.
"La Double vie De Veronique" is really like a dream to me. It looks like a dream, it features one of my dream girls, the story is not so important at all, just like in a dream, and it also features so many metaphors along the way. The whole film is as if taken from Kislowski subconsciousness and put on celluloid. Of course there's also a motif about duality, fatherhood but what struck you first is the overall atmosphere. The cinematography is excellent, here i go, i started with it, forgive me Irene. That's what makes the film so mesmerizing and really succumbs you in it. While i was watching, i really felt i wanted to be there, to live in this world, so melancholic and magical. And i also would like to be there because of Her.
OK, i admit i've only seen two of her movies but that was enough. Irene Jacob is the greatest. I can't imagine how it is possible that she fell into mediocrity, or at least i heard so. But you know, i'm not that surprised either. She's not for everyone's taste. And of course i mean her acting abilities too. I heard some users think of her as just a "pretty face". Actually i don't think that's bad. Good film actors have to have charisma, a magnetic quality that attracts you in them so that you feel concerned and involved, i would love too see Glenn Close from the back rolls of the theater but not in a erotic thriller. And about the acting abilities - people see Al Pacino shouting at people and think that that's what is all about but it's not. Not all the people in the real world are so aggressive, passionate or so extrovert. Irene Jacob's acting is really very sublime and that's really hard. It's just that her heroine is that kind of person. I would really like to see more of her movies and to see her in new movies too. If not else she remains one of my favorites.
And here comes the music. It's beautiful and it's really in the right mood with the film. I was even thinking at one point what if the film was based on the score and not the other way around. "Gospodin" Preiner is the man responsible. Well done is the least i can say. I'm trying really hard to find the music of the film. The scene with the concert and the subsequent death of Weronika is just so heartbreaking. By the way i like her better than Veronique. Yes, there is differences but you've got to find them by yourself. Or maybe just because she's a "bratushka"(a Slav).
Le genou de Claire (1970)
Thursday Night - French Cinema on the National Television
...And thank God it's like that 'cause otherwise i would never have had the opportunity to see this film. And it's really a great film, at least in my opinion.
Thorought four weeks the National TV showed several Rohmer films and i liked this one, along with "Pauline a la plage", the most. It's really a very charming film and so french, which is great because i love french cinema. I really like Rohmer's style too. It gives me a great pleasure to sit back and watch all these intelligent(mostly) and surely beautiful people just talking. It's not that this film doesn't have a plot but it's just less important than the characters and i really like that. If you watch carefully and if you're intelligent enough, you'll get involved in the story and you won't feel bored at all but there's not so many people that are really able to understand films like this one and Rohmer's cinema as a whole.
Nevermind. I'm really glad i saw this movie and as i've already told you, i saw several other Rohmer's too. And it's all because Thursday Night is a French Cinema Night on the National Telvision. I saw also several Truffaut's and Pialat's. Overall the National Television sucks but i really have to thank them for their Thursday Night.
Malèna (2000)
The "Malena" Syndrome
I have the opportunity to watch this film very often because it's a regular on the numerous cable televisions in my country. And although i've seen it so many times, i never grow tired of it. It's really a very charming film with an excellent script and direction by Guiseppe Tornatore. The acting is really great too. Monica Bellucci is not only the most beautiful woman in the world, but also a great actress. She's so beautiful in this film that you never ask yourself why the little Renato is so in love with her. And Guiseppe Sulfaro, who plays him, is really great too. I even recommended this film to a friend of mine, who is a kind of guy whose favorite film is "The Fast and the Furious", but he liked it so much that we even had a long discussion about it and he's not into that kind of things too. We came up with the phrase "the Malena syndrome".
What does that mean? It's about one really annoying women's quality, it exist in man too, but i think not in such proportion. I'm talking about woman's envy, often in regards to a more beautiful woman. We can feel the hatred and envy towards Malena thorough the film. Her only fault is her beauty and that's what destroys her and leads her to the shocking and brutal climax of the film. I've seen several cases of the "Malena" syndrome and it's really so pathetic but i don't mean to insult anybody. Man also take advantage and talk behind Malena's back and only Renato, and the viewers through his eyes, can see that she's so pure and innocent of all the crimes they assume she's guilty of. We can do nothing but feel sorry for her.
All in all it's a great movie. I've always been into that kind of coming-of-age films and this is one of my favorite ones. I recommend it to anybody and it's a must-see for the Bellucci fans. She's gorgeous in it.
Orkestar bez ime (1981)
My favorite Bulgarian movie
I don't know how can you get a copy of this movie if you are foreigner but i assure you that this is not only one of the best Bulgarian movies ever, but also this film contains in my opinion one of the best endings i've ever seen. An ending that always manage to move me deeply. I'm not sure also if a foreigner or at least people from Western Europe and America will get it. It's a comedy but it's far from the Hollywood comedies nowadays because it's really funny and rarely relies on slapstick humor. And of course there much more... I don't know how the government allowed its release because in my opinion the movie manages to make fun of the authorities and all this guys from the orchestra are walking around with their long hair and they are playing The Beatles. There's even a nude scene, not very graphic of course. This movie was made 7 years before the fall of the Regime and in my opinion it's really about freedom and also shows what was like in our country in these times, shortly before my birth. That's when my mother and father were young and it's one of their favorite movies too. In fact they insisted that i watch it and i have watched it numerous times since then although i'm really not a fan of Bulgarian movies. It's truly one of my favorites. And of course the ending. I won't tell you anything although it's not that kind of ending but it's one of the best endings i've ever seen, competing only with "Before Sunset" when it comes to crying over a film, even though i'm not that kind of person. I even liked the music at the end even though i hate Bulgaria Estrada. My Favourite Bulgarian Movie.