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angie-karagounaki
Reviews
Carol (2015)
A gorgeous movie with wasted potential
To paraphrase Ursula Le Guin: This is not Patricia Highsmith's book. This is Todd Haynes' film. It is a gorgeous film.
I have only good things to say about this film, as far as aesthetics, atmosphere and film craft goes. The photography is stunningly beautiful and the use of colour is impressive and effective. The film manages to catch the perceived atmosphere of the Fifties and the romance of the script. The performances from both actresses are quite good, reminding of the old classics. The last scene, with its deceptively low-key acting, deserves to be included in an anthology.
However, the film isn't perfect. I don't know whether this is the scriptwriter's of the director's fault, but the adaptation played too fast and loose with Patricia Highsmith's book, losing its essence. The delicate tensions and suspense of the book were gone and the film suffers for that, losing its potential impact and leaving behind an under-taste of disappointment.
It is not a bad film, far from it, but I have the feeling that it could be far better and more powerful.
Enas allos kosmos (2015)
A pompous, masturbatory mess of a movie
I was convinced by friends to watch this film, after complaining about its being over-hyped and over-advertised. I hoped that, at least, with the resources and critics' praise lavished upon its creator, I would see a decent, if not overwhelming film. The result was not what I expected. It was far worse.
Papakalliatis is definitely not the multitalented cinema renaissance man. He is a handsome guy, true, but he's, at best, a mediocre actor. There are a few moments of passable film direction sprinkled about, but that's about it. As a script writer, he is heavy-handed, preachy and overloads his script with exposition and pseudo-philosophical ramblings. He tries to act smart and pose as a master of symbolism, but, in his heavy and clumsy hands, symbolism is crushed to mere pretentiousness. He dishes out drama with a heavy hand, ending up with ludicrous grotesqueness. The stories, especially the first romance between the Syrian immigrant (groomed up to feel less threatening to his audience) and the daughter of the jilted old man feel rushed and incomplete. The romance of the Greek white collar worker, played by mr. Papakalliatis himself, is the self-satisfied romp , together with the classic Papakalliatis unnecessarily explicit and self-voyeuristic sex scene that we all love to hate. Only the last romance gave me a few breaths of fresh air, with moments of genuine tenderness and sensitivity, probably due to J.K Simmons' incongruously good presence. But in total, this movie is a mess made by a creator who has an overly high opinion of himself and lacks the skills to support it.