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Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
More than meets the eye
The first time I saw this film I wasn't too excited about it. It may have had something to do with the Cruise-Kidman story, which has nothing to do with the film's content.
But watching it recently I just fell in love with it. It absorbed my total attention, it guided me along this journey to which I didn't know where it would lead, it isn't a straightforward story. Kubrick takes us through this film in a way I feel I have never experienced before with any film. So fluently and smart and you are never sure of where it is going or what it is you're watching. It's really about what goes on in the mind, not everything can be taken literally, it may be a dream or not, but you don't know which part is which. You're constantly being challenged as to your beliefs and values. The story, the images and the music captivate unlike anything ever has in film. This is film at it's best in opinion.
And after watching it, reading about it, you just know this film contains a labyrinth that is almost fathomless and fascinating to depths beyond the film itself.
Someone said, you get something different from this film depending on where you are in your life, your age, your experience, relationships. I think that's very true for this film. A kaleidoscope from the very best filmmaker.
Borgman (2013)
Pleasantly Disturbing
I'm still not quite sure what the film is trying to say, what it is about, it does seem like it is saying something, but in a way that is only logical within the film itself. If that makes any sense. It's a dark film about some people taking over some other people without getting to know why. It all happens in a designer house and a large garden surrounded by nature, forest. The further you go along in this puzzle (which tends to be quite slow in the first half and more paced in the second half), the more you understand what's going on but only cause you see a plan being revealed but still not knowing really what the goal is, or the meaning. It never get's explained fully but this tension is what keeps you watching it. At times brutal, funny and reflective upon society towards certain members who are let's say, not so fortunate vs the fortunate. In a way, it's payback time to those who have it all and don't know what they've got. Not sure that covers it all. At the end of the film I did feel a sense of conclusion and awe of it all, not knowing exactly what I just saw, just knowing I liked being played for the duration of this work. Would like to see it again.
To the Wonder (2012)
Tree of life 2
To be honest I feared watching this one, and yet again was looking forward to it. But it's like wanting to read Shakespeare, you are curious yet you know it's not gonna be easy. I enjoyed Tree Of Life, I'd never seen anything like it. So is this one. It's about love and how it can turn sour but the amazing thing is it shows all the little in between fragments and details, we normally don't see in a film. There's a lot of stuff to be said about this film. The best way to describe it would probably be that you experience a relationship from start to finish. In the good and bad times. The religion part didn't really work for me, but it's a film you only will understand like no one else will, there's no right or wrong or plot really. You get what you get from it and if your unlucky you will not get anything and hate it. I suggest you only watch this if you feel like meandering along a love story with very realistic details without a traditional ending. In other words, Malick fan stuff.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Deconstructing the white house
It's very similar to one of the last Die Hard films, but without Bruce Willis. It has a lot of action, some terribly bad visual effects and a very predictable story. It reminded me of Independence Day, when the president has to leave the White House? Basically this movie is just that bit, but extended with a few thousand more bullets and many more people killed. I make it sound like it's a bad thing. Just remember, the story is a no brainer, it's very stereotypical and we all have seen this one already many times before. Action packed brainless shootemup movie. 5 out of 10. Instead, watch Training Day, which apparently was also made by this director but is way better.
Django Unchained (2012)
Not what was expected
Very slow moving, but that's not a problem, the problem is it isn't very entertaining. One of those films you feel making it was more fun than watching it.
People will expect a lot from this, and it won't deliver. Only the character of Dr schulz is aimable, the rest are cardboard characters you don't give a damn about, even when blood and gore is spilled. I feel the script is very weak because it all hangs on one thing that is set from the start, therefor the end can only be disappointing.
A parody of a western of a western, too long, nothing sticks, nothing to laugh or cry about. It's silly even. Has nothing going for it. Unless you want to see Jamie Fox or Don Johnson, have fun.
Flight (2012)
Not Very Intoxicating
I thought this film was going to be about the moral issue of drunk pilot saves the day, so is he a hero or not? But it wasn't. It's about alcoholism and how it will destroy your life. The flight part of it is just meant to be some kind of metaphor for the need to flee, escape, to fly away from your problems, I guess. Just as drugs are, or religion being used as an excuse of what happened.
In a way that's the thing that this film said to me, whatever your fix, alcohol, heroin, God, we all have our own fanatic way of dealing with stuff in life. But it's not very interestingly shown.
I found it quite a disappointing but well made Hollywood take on alcoholism. I think they could have done more with it but chose to really hammer you down with the alcoholism story until you felt fed up with it (a bit condescending) about three quarters into the film. A repeating pattern of promises and disappointments by the lead character that becomes quite boring almost.
Denzel Washington does a great job, but even he can't save the film.
And then there is the end, in a typical Hollywood way, I felt numb and wondering, why I had to watch this.
Shame (2011)
A well made film about something you don't wanna see
It's dark and unpleasant at times where he takes us, Michal Fassbenders character. But we stick with him and we see where it will lead even if it leads to no good. What I love about the film is it's space, never you feel forced by the story to go one way or another, it all comes naturally and subtle. You almost feel like a voyeur watching this man's life struggling with human relations and too much sex, which feels like the man has a problem but you don't know why, lot of sex but not in a nice erotic or romantic way mind you. It's about addictions, could have been any addiction but in this case sex. It's a sad story but a moving one brilliantly told and as I said, the room in the story, not forcing any aspect of it is for me the biggest plus and achievement of this directorial effort. The director really knows how to pace it and give you bits and pieces along a quite slow but interesting pace. Fassbender and Mulligan are very natural in a nasty place that makes your skin crawl at times but in a realistic way you almost feel you were there to watch it happen. I would certainly recommend it to people who love realistic films about real people, as much as that's possible in cinema.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Disappointed
Despite the pressure to end the trilogy this film had all the ingredients to duplicate the success of The Dark Knight, which I thought was terrific. However, Christopher Nolan bit more off than he could chew. With so many characters, story lines end loose ends to finish, none of it really felt like something I as an audience should care about. Instead you are racing down a rather predictable road with so much stuff going on it's hard to find room for surprises and thoughts. Nothing really stands out or is memorable after I've seen it, not even the action or grand scale. And the ending I can describe no other than cheesy and lame. I don't know if it's perhaps the high expectations I had or if the film is just not that great. Compared to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight this was very disappointing and the least impressive of the three. Sell out would be the right term.
The Help (2011)
About human kind
This film has a very good blend of warm and cold, dramatic and heart felt scenes. It's a classic story of bad versus good, and progress of humankind, therefore I don't think its right to emphasize this whole racial issue just alone. It's kind of like with Schindlers list, which is a Disney version of the holocaust. Never the less, the feeling when leaving the theater, teary eyed, it's worth going to see it, and realize "the help" existed back than. Very well made and amazing performances, but perhaps too much of a "film" to relate to history and its discussions that follow and which you can read in other reviews. Just enjoy it for what it makes you feel. Human.
Drive (2011)
Drive
This film really starts out as a promise, the introduction, the beginning of the film is top notch, it's something new that you don't know, its promising for sure at first, for the images, the editing, the sound, you want to keep following it. It did remind me of the film Leon a bit at first. That feel. Images were stunning also combined with the main actor who is very good. But in the second half it looses that and becomes almost like a B film. It follows a plot not unfamiliar and leaves other stuff unanswered, that's when you loose interest. Still wouldn't have wanted to miss the first half, too bad about the second half though. That's all I can say. Nice try but didn't follow trough and in the end a sour taste left.
Super 8 (2011)
Goonies 2011 but less good
It's the Goonies 2011 style, but less good. This film won't stay in your memory for 6 hours, I guarantee it. Sure it's fun when you're 10 years old, but it's nothing special. It's like what the kids say in the movie "production value", there ain't much more there. I have no clue why they made this movie. Except of course for making money. Is that why we go see a film? I don't think so. Fort he director it may have been a lot of fun, more than we have. Making a Spielbergian film with a lot of winks to Spielberg films, but when they don't add to our viewer enjoyment I still think he did a bad job. But rest assured people will trust him with insane amounts of money again next year, that's how the business goes. And your paying all that by watching this.
Inception (2010)
Solid Smart Spectacular Film Reminiscent Of The Dark Knight
I have been waiting like many to see this film. And I wish to see it again, preferably in an empty cinema because you just don't want to lose any piece of it. The film demands your full attention from the beginning but once you're accustomed to it you get blown away by the story, the visuals, the actors and locations but above all; the idea. The impossible becomes possible in this film and it's all made "real" and with purpose and meaning.
If you liked The Dark Knight and The Matrix, you have to see this one, it will be the best spent money on a ticket since The Dark Knight.
The only thing that doesn't make it a 10/10 for me is the fact that it's strongest point is also it's weakest, bending reality has it's limits and Nolan carefully avoids those limits. What's real and what's not can get tiring. Good thing the effects are convincing as well.
It's the concept and how well it is realized, filmed, that's brilliant, however, telling you about it is never gonna portray the experience. Pure cinema is scarce these days. This is the opportunity to get it.
The Team (2005)
Well made observations on forming a team.
This documentary follows a group of homeless people from New York who try to form a football team to play in the Homeless World Cup held in Austria. Having said that, it doesn't really say much about what it is about at all.
The film takes us into this world of homeless people and the filmmakers give us the sense they really captured everything going on there, even more than that, they give an insight into this world of the homeless, people who are just plain people like you and me in a sense.
The great achievements of this film are the observations and the very recognizable human behavior we all possess when we are being thrown together with a bunch of people who want to achieve some great victory. It's these conflicts and discussions while the team s being formed that show us how we are all guided by our social background, motivation, selfless or not, frustration and betrayal, disappointment or just life in general. But the film is uplifting because you feel part of it, you feel sympathy for the effort the team is making however hard it may seem. Forget the football or the fact it consists of homeless players, it's a film about human beings who are given an opportunity to rise above themselves (and most of them experience it as a victory), who get awarded for once in their life for showing they are much more than an chance-less individual.
You could say, from where these players come from, they can only win, they have nothing to lose (except their mind). In all, this film is truly a well made observation of a group of individuals becoming a team despite or because of their social backgrounds and poor situations. The team struggles at times but eventually it proves to be flexible enough to stand against their natural tendency to break down in disorder.
The documentary did made me think. We all have to work together somehow, but when you are being confronted with yourself and asked to change or set aside yourself for the good of the team, some of us would struggle to make the team. And if you do make the team, winning isn't everything.