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Right Now This Blog Is OVER, Sorry :(
2008-04-04 01:12:00
Should have posted this earlier. One day it will arise, though, Don't know when. Hopefully soon. Also, depends if people want me to carry on. I have no idea if anyone really visits this site.
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Stellet Licht
2008-03-03 17:32:00
After The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford it was only a matter of time until another gem of a film would pop up, which could go head to head with the beauty of Jesse James. The one film, who I feel can fill up that part is Carlos Reygadas' Stellet Licht (Silent Light), a remarkable enchanting hypnotizing poem from beginning to end. It's stunning with long takes that go on and on, every one of them building up to a tiny climax, before going into the next. You feel the urge to cry hysterically over its magnificent beauty. It's a wondeful journey which sometimes feels to be more a documentary than a fiction film. The story takes place somewhere in Mexico and tells of a Mennonite family. The language they speak is Plautdietsch, a mix between East Low German and Dutch. The father of the family Johan, finds himself in a crisis of his own. Loving his family and his wife Esther, this love however could not save him from falling for Marianne. Not sure what to do and...

Ne Touchez Pas La Hache
2008-03-03 17:09:00
Ne Touchez Pas La Hache (Don't Touch The Axe) by director Jacques Rivette is a powerful film about two lovers who don't get the chance to love. At the time Armand de Montriveau confesses his love to Antoinette de Langeais, her stubborness keeps them from falling for each other. And once she shakes off her pride, it's too late and it's him who now plays hard to get. It's a game of love which is never played out. Rivette tells the lover's story beautifully, with the camera slowly moving into the scene, lingering on the beautiful mise-en-scène, while the actors perform on their stage. Especially during the scenes in which noone else but the two lovers are shown, Ne Touchez Pas feels mostly like a theatre play. The actors get to closely interact. As a spectator you can feel their attraction for each other and their constant pulling and pushing. Great are the intertitles in between, which sometimes give the film a comedic touch presenting unfinished sentences which are only finish...

Chung Hing Sam Lam
2008-02-24 13:02:00
Wong Kar Wai's films are those you want to linger in. They draw their success heavily from creating a perfect soothing atmosphere. Added to this is his style of genius combining the most crazy shots imagineable. If his films didn't have a story they could survive just by the shots he presents. His cinema is real art and every shot is a painting or a beautiful photograph. Chung Hing Sam Lam (Chungking Express) is no exception. It marked as Kar Wai's breakthrough and consists of everything his works stand for. His characters are those you can easily fall in love with. They have chance encounters in a big bruizing city where they explore love, life and relationships. Like in his other films Kar Wai provides his films with nice pop songs to go with the story. In Chungking Express it's California dreaming, a classic song which get a complete new meaning and makes you experience the song in a complete new way. Dancing to the song during her work hours, is the young waitress Faye, play...

The Darjeeling Limited
2008-02-23 20:34:00
Best known for his fresh own original style, like most of Wes Anderson's films, The Darjeeling Limited is funny, but subtle and consists of a group of characters with strange tastes and likes. Always colourful, showing a great mise-en-scène, the camera tracks passed the set as if floating on air, such ease it is done with. This time Anderson explores the beautiful India showing three brothers who are on a trip to bond with each other after the passing of their father and the dissapearance of their mother. Played by Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson, the three of them make up a pretty funny team. However, even though most of Darjeeling is charming, mostly because of the great looking colourful eye candy images, at times Darjeeling feels a bit empty. Overall the film is coherent in its funniness, but the comedic aspects not always work. It's a certain humour Anderson provides you withw hich can only completely be enjoyed when you and Anderson are exactly on the same le...
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Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
2008-02-23 20:03:00
Sweeney Todd is a musical, but one which focuses less on the songs, keeping the action going while the actors sing their hearts out. Tim Burton has made a film that is both funny and gory, with blood splatters and tasty meat pies everywhere. Johnny Depp is great as Sweeney, talking with a dark crisp voice, his mind focused on one thing, getting revenge on the evil judge Turpin who sent him away. Depp makes Todd appear perfectly stubborn at times, adding much to the comic note of the film. Almost outshining Depp is Helena Bonham Carter, who at times is hilarious as Mrs. Lovett, who sells the worst pies in London. Together the two of them form a very charming duo. A small part is played by the brilliant Sacha Baron Cohen as the fraud Pirelli. He's outstanding as long as he's present. Sweeney Todd is pure entertainment, making you sit back with a smile on your face throughout all of the film. It's funny, tragic, sweet and very bloody. People who don't like musicals because of the c...
More About: Street , Sweeney Todd , Demon , Fleet , Sweeney

Se, Jie
2008-02-10 14:45:00
Everyone looking for a real cinematic piece should go and watch Se, Jie (Lust, Caution), the latest effort by director Ang Lee, who directed films like Brokeback Mountain and The Ice Storm, but also The Hulk, which in my opinion was a horrible piece, even though I could appreciate the direction Lee wanted to take and the story he wanted to tell. Though, in my opinion he unfortunately failed. With Se, Jie, however, he serves a beautiful piece which reminds of classic thrillers of the genre, such as Hitchcock's Notorious. It's has the flair of that period of time and is full with suspense and brilliant climatic scenes which raise the cinematic bar. Already there was much talk of the sex scenes which are situated on the edge between crossing reality and fiction. It's definitely art, but one wonders if the actors actually had real sex or not. The answer most likely is no, but some parts look very real and more than just a convincing performance. Apart from these sex scenes Se, Jie al...

Planet Terror
2008-02-10 14:13:00
Part of Grindhouse, Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror is the better half of the Grindhouse duo, the first being Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, even though Death Proof was already a great pice of work. Compared to Death Proof, however, Planet Terror is more gory, but overall it's just as fun as Tarantino's. Where I loved Death Proof from beginning to end, including all the bar scenes and scenes in the diner where the girls happen to talk and talk and talk and talk, people who may have gotten a bit bored with these scenes which have kind of become Tarantino's trademark, may enjoy Planet Terror more. Although, starting off a bit slow, it later on runs at full speed providing exciting scenes with many laughs. It's a great combination of slasher, action and elements of comedy, never taking itself too serious and not being afraid to get completely over the top. Standout performances come from Freddy Rodriguez, playing the all macho and tough guy Wray, a guy who in his own words nev...

Into The Wild
2008-02-03 00:15:00
Into The Wild is Sean Penn's fourth feature length film and tells the real life story of Christopher McCandless, a young twenty year old who decided to leave society behind and start living anew in the wild. A slow start almost makes you give up on it, but the introduction of a number of charismatic characters saves the film as well as McCandless story of survival, which becomes more and more interesting as the film progresses. Shot on beautiful locations and perfect lighting, it seems the editor must have had a tough job deciding which material to include in the final film. There must have been a whole lot of shots to choose from, which could not have been easy. Even though the story ends on a sad note, it's not sad at all. The film is a celebration of life and the choice of one young man deciding to live it differently. McCandless wasn't at all materialistic. He just wanted to enjoy life's beauty and the beauty this world has to offer. It's a very inspiring story and Penn tel...

Les Chansons D'Amour
2008-02-03 00:15:00
Les Chansons D'Amour can best be understood as a hommage, paying tribute to old French musicals, but doing so in a modern way. Set in contemporary Paris, it features a fresh cast led by young rising actor Louis Garrel, who is supported by already well known actress Ludivine Sagnier and Clotilde Hesme. Showing their feelings through song, Les Chansons consists of all the ingredients you would expect of a musical. There's tragedy caused by a sudden death, a new romance between two people who you would not immediately imagine together, and a final chapter ending with a song. It's fun, charming, and very light. There's nothing groundbreaking here. It's just plain fun and entertainment covered in a coat of melancholy, recapturing those old French musical heydays. Just like John Carney's Once, Christophe Honoré's Les Chansons is not the typical musical containing big dance numbers and bombastic overtly happy songs. Its songs would fit perfectly on almost every pop CD you can find i...

A Change Is Gonna Come
2008-02-01 00:43:00
With the new year and with me watching so many films I have been thinking about bringing in some change. I'm still not sure how this will turn out, ideas come and go. But I want something different, something new. Something easier, more simple. Update more frequently. My mind has been buzzing and it's now waiting on the final result. Stay tuned...
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The Kite Runner
2008-01-20 01:20:00
With adaptations of novels there's always that question of what the film would have been like watching if you would have first read the novel instead. Having not read The Kite Runner before seeing the film by director Marc Forster, the story with its many twists had me surprised and very emotional. However, in relation to other adaptations, of which Atonement is a great example, The Kite Runner feels to give away that it's based on a novel. The film is very straight forward. It isn't a cinema piece. The film is very much centered on its story which has clearly become the film's main focus. This can be applauded, stating that this finally is a film again which makes telling a solid and engaging story its main aim, but also detested, making no full use of film as a grand visual medium. The Kite Runner hardly is of any interest when it comes to cinematography. There's not especially great camera movement or photography providing for breathtaking images. The entire film seems to be...

Irréversible
2008-01-20 01:19:00
Irréversible is probably one of the most controversial films you will ever see, which is mostly caused by its two (in)famous scenes which are excessively violent. One is of a guy being hit to death with a fireextinguisher, the other a rape scene which lasts for something like 9 minutes and which is shown during one long take. Added to this is the film's spinning camera, which moves around in circles from upside down to downside up and which is said to be able to cause nausea. Some people reacted with disgust leaving the cinema before the film ended, some people, like me, loved the film for its beauty, its ideas and its deeper meanings. Fact is that Irréversible is a film that varies in responses. True, the rape scene makes you feel disgusted and is almost unwatchable, because of its realness and is definitely a scene you don't want some people to ever lay eyes on. But what comes after are scenes that are pure beauty and a treat for people who love to watch actors interact almost ...

Eastern Promises
2008-01-20 01:19:00
Eastern Promises , David Cronenberg's latest, tells the story of a nurse who gets herself into trouble by being determined to help find the family of a baby which is left in her hands. Traces lead her to the Russian maffia and soon she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous world of betrayal and murder. Overall Eastern Promises kind of feels a bit old fashioned and it's definitely one of those films you either love or hate. The film's setting and style very much remind of the past. Bad guys' throats are cut with fake blood sipping out and running down their necks. A sequence in a sauna ends in a small massacre after providing you with some nice thrills. Cronenberg has made a nice and solid crime drama set in London. Viggo Mortensen is ruthless as the Russian Nikolai, portraying a man you most certainly don't want to cross paths with. People who have seen Cronenberg's A History Of Violence will notice the dark sunglasses and his overall appearance showing many similarities w...
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Oldboy
2008-01-20 01:19:00
Oldboy is a brilliant mix of styles, turning it into a visual extravaganza with a dark twist at the end which will leave a somewhat bitter taste and question your overall thoughts of the film. Still, though, it's a great film, one that is different, strong, and which will no doubt surprise. Director Chan-Wook Park starts his film with elements of comedy, making it seem fresh and crazy. Min-Sik Choi, the actor playing the main character Dae-Su Oh who is out for revenge after spending something like fifteen years in a tiny apartement, is heartbreaking looking at times as if he has lost his mind, which is all due because of his imprisonment. His great expressive face and black bushy hair make him look funny in a way, endeering. The outcome of the film therefore is even more horrifying. Oldboy, which won the Gran Jury Prize at the Cannes Film festival 2004 and in my opinion did so deservedly, is one of those rare films that will have you with your mouth open. It's so unexpectedly good...

La Faute À Fidel!
2008-01-13 22:13:00
La Faute À Fidel! (Blame It On Fidel!) is a very entertaining film showing life from a young girl's perspective. Finding herself involved into her parents' political aspirations, this girl named Anna, comically mixes up politics, not having any understanding and seeing things very black and white. At one point it all becomes Fidel's fault, when her nanny from Spain tells her the man is no good and the family, living in a very nice and luxurious home, leaves for the city and moves into what in comparison to their old home is a very small appartment. The film is full of these political little jokes, which is why altogether La Faute À Fidel! is definitely a film for adults, even though it sometimes seems a children's film. One of the reasons you might think it's a children's film is because of the films main protagonist, which is a little girl trying to cope with change and being reluctant to difference. But the jokes are for the adults, making it less a family film. The joy ...

The Best 5 Of 2007
2008-01-12 21:58:00
A whole year went by. This blog however launched in April, but didn't really start until May. 2007 was a year in which I saw a lot of films not only releases of 2007 but also from the past. Having seen so many good ones, it's time to decide which 5 films blew me away and have made such an impression that until this day I still remember them and the viewing experiences they gave me. Some were destined to be on this list the moment after I saw them, some asked for a bit more thought to have me deciding if they were truly worth having a spot on this list. Here are the final 5:1. The FountainA dazzling film of which the visual beauty will be graved on my mind forever. It leaves you puzzled and aks you to question life and don't take it for granted. Darren Aronofsky really comes to show off his talent in this project of love which is the final step on that path to greatness which started of with Pi. Always trying to visually overwhelm his audience whith his spin of images, which are ...

The Best 3 Of December
2008-01-12 21:57:00
The last month of the year, another recap. Again a lot of films I had never seen before. I managed to see two more films by a person who is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors, Kim Ki-Duk. Once, the film I had been waiting for for so long, felt like a bit of a dissapointment, which was mostly caused by my expectations which were set way too high. A second view might change my perception and make it a real favourite. I also watched The Fountain again, the first time since I watched it at the cinema and still it's amazing. Well, here are the best films I had never seen before, but (finally) saw this December :1. SamariaOnce again Kim Ki-Duk shows his distinct style, combining excesses of violence with a tragic story kept silent. His films feel sad and are drenched in coldness featuring characters not showing much of what they feel through words, but connecting through gazes and physical expressions.2. American GangsterA nice take on the genre by Ridley Scott. A thrill from ...

The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
2008-01-12 01:10:00
Here it is, the best film of 2007, The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford . It is really probably the best and most fulfilling film of 2007, that, if you have not already seen it, you will be seeing this year, 2008 that is. Based on the novel by Ron Hansen the film itself reads, or in this case watches, like a novel. Not only because of its use of a voice-over narrator, but also because of its very slow pace. Almost as if director Andrew Dominik wants you to describe every little detail, becoming yourself a novelist, the story comes to literally unfold before your eyes. The cinematography is amazing with the camera slowly tracking to lead the audience into the landscape. While actors are seen playing their parts, the background filled with beautiful mountains call you from afar, willing to get your attention. Especially at the beginning the film features some beautifully lit shots with actor Brad Pitt standing in an open field. And as if all this visual beauty was...

4 Luni, 3 Saptamani Si 2 Zile
2008-01-07 01:16:00
Cristian Mungiu has made one of the most gripping films of last year, making you feel as if you're really part of the two main characters' life. Both students, these young girls have sex with their boyfriends just like any other girl and sometimes they end up pregnant. Young as they are a long future still ahead of them, being a mother is not exactly what they dream of becoming. No wonder so many young girls therefore make the decision to let it be taken away, at a moment the baby is not yet full grown. Using a lot of static shots, Mungiu takes his audience so close to these two characters, it's almost as if you're going through the experiences with them, as if you're silently sitting in a corner at a distance observing these characters while they make some lifechanging decisions. Almost claustrophobic-like, making it impossible for the spectator to look away, the camera doesn't turn away, making it impossible for you to escape. It's like it's ordering you to watch this, to ...

Voleurs De Chevaux
2008-01-07 01:15:00
Micha Wald, remember that name. Not only is he the director of this gem of a film, which is his feature length debut, but also the director of Alice Et Moi, which got him a prize at the Cannes film festival in 2004, and is a comic delight. This short film was shown before the screening of Voleurs De Chevaux (Horse Thieves), and after seeing both, comes to really show the differences between the two. Voleurs De Cheuvaux is this epic tale of brotherly love that goes deep. It's a beautiful film from start to finish, wonderfully shot and strongly acted. The way the camera lingers to show the sky and makes full use of the surroundings the film is shot in set up the setting of the film prefectly. Looking at the images you feel like wandering through those woods yourself, feeling really part of the 19th century the films is set in. In a time where men looked scruffy, not caring too much about taking baths and rather throwing themselves into rivers to wash them, Voleurs De Chevaux shows al...

Grimm
2008-01-02 23:33:00
Alex van Warmerdam's Grimm is not the great film it could have been. Having this surrealistic flair, it has a nice starting point with its two main characters left in the woods like Hensel and Gretel, though, this seems to be the only really clear refercence to its title which insiuates a reference to the two famous fairytale storieteller brothers. Grimm however seems nothing like a fairytale at all, even though it has a somewhat happy ending structure and is quite unusual, if not weird. But after this nice start Grimm becomes a bit too long after the two main characters come to live with a guy the sister gets to know. From this moment on the film seems to be settling down, as if taking a break from the little adventure the sister and brother came to be on in an attempt to get to Spain as fast as they can, stumbling upon little problems and strange characters on their way. After this break the film tries to recover itself, but it's already too late. The real interest in the film i...

Samaria
2007-12-30 20:08:00
Kim Ki-Duk's Samaria (Samaritan Girl) is both visually and narratively stunning. Making his characters observe each other, like one of his latest efforts Bin-Jip, Samaria is a film of beautiful silence, with not much dialogue, but at the same time saying so much through other means. Combining silence with violence and showing two young girls sharing a deep friendship in which they would do anything for each other, Samaria is heartbreaking. It's a film every film buff will appreciate. Ki-Duk once again puts his characters central, observing the ways they deal with secrets and trying to make peace with the way faith seems to have come into their lives and the lives of loved once, not always having the outcome our destiny they hoped for. Ki-Duk's characters really evolve, showing how events come to effect them and how they end up dealing with these events and eventually what is left of them after trying to cope. Both girls are potrayed very well, with Ji-Min kwak having the biggest ...
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The King
2007-12-28 16:39:00
What struck me the most about The King is the way director James Marsh manages to perfectly create this chilly atmosphere, which has you at the edge of your seat, even though the story itself happens to be pretty mediocre and not that special. By keeping a lot of information hidden from his audience, as a viewer you're constantly looking at the film with questions in your head. From the beginning when main character Elvis meets pastor David Sandow and his family, you assume to know what's going on and what this secret is they both share. A little scene that follows and in which David's wife seems to have come to learn about the secret, enhances the feeling of you knowing what's going on. But because it's not until somewhere near the end that the secret really is revealed, you keep questioning your own assumptions. Elvis never lets anything shine through and you're not sure what his actions really mean and what it is he's after. After seeing the film you're not quite sure wha...

The Best 3 Of November
2007-12-28 15:54:00
With me leaving to another country I happen to spend much more hours at the cinema than I usually had the chance to. So as a result, in November I have been able to watch a lot of new films, many of which has been really good like 3:10 To Yuma and Venus. It's therefore hard to pick which ones could be seen as being the best out of the bunch, but I will try. Hopefully I will be able to keep updating this blog and keep it running in 2008 like I managed to do this year.1. ControlAnton Corbijn's film about Ian Curtis is a very honest depiction and great tribute to the singer's life. More than just the story of Curtis, Corbijn manages to make Curtis' story representative of many young men, telling a story that could have been of any young man struggling with growing up and becoming an independent adult. Choosing to tell the story in black and white make for beautiful and very energetic images which suit the tunes of Joy Division perfectly.2. Die FälscherA very suspenseful film that ...

My Blueberry Nights
2007-12-23 13:51:00
My Blueberry Nights is Wong Kar-Wai's first American film and even though not his best, still is a great effort. Choosing for great long takes and filming from interesting angles, My Blueberry Nights, like his other films, is drenched in the already famous Kar-Wai coating. Like many of his films, My Blueberry Nights includes trains and some fight scenes in bars and diners. Also there's the fast forwarding, providing for the energetic atmosphere. Already from the opening credits it's visually stunning, choosing to presents his viewers with a great close-up of something that looks like dripping ice cream or cake. It's a beautiful image and gives you a feeling of joy, realizing you're watching a real filmmaker. With songstress Norah Jones in the lead, his first American film is immediately rather daring. Never acted in a film before, it's a big task to all of a sudden be at the center of one, having to lead the audience through its depicted story. Surprisingly, Jones is a great f...

American Gangster
2007-12-23 13:50:00
American Gangster is wonderful entertainment and provides the fun you expect from a gangster film. With Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe in the two leads, American Gangster has it all, great powerful performances, suspenseful action scenes and chases, and a solid story which isn't all that original, but is told superbly. The build up is very strong, a slow start that emerges into an ending that throttles. Washington as Frank Lucas is like a whirlwind, he owns the screen. He is Lucas, big mouth, and a fearceful look in his eyes which almost seems to make his model wife burst into tears instantly. Crowe is good too trying to catch Lucas and meanwhile having some family problems, which provides for a nice extra story giving his character some background and backbone. Ruby Dee as Lucas's mother is amazing, but her role is very small. But still, in those few scenes she has she easily takes over. Endearing, a true momma, she makes for a nice female character, characters this film almo...
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The Queen
2007-12-08 10:54:00
Apart from Hellen Mirren´s performance Stephen Frears' The Queen has nothing exceptional to offer. It's a somewhat funny film, sometimes heading too much toward satire, and which starts to become rather boring after the first half of the film. It's decent film showing the life of Elizabeth and the days after the death of Diana and the choice of Blair as the country's new Prime Minister, but you have to really be interested in the queen to sit it through without getting bored in the middle. The film does engages you quite easily and from the beginning is rather nice, showing the awkward meeting between Blair, his wife and Elizabeth. The Queen gives you the feeling to get a glimpse of what's happening inside the life of queen Elizabeth and the othermembers of the royal family. Because of Hellen Mirren's splendid performance you forget you're watching an actress, isntead of the real queen, enhancing the feeling of getting a glimpse of Elizabeth's life even more. It's strange, ...

Once
2007-12-08 10:54:00
John Carney's Once has been on many people's lips for the past few months. Rave reviews from critics and winning over audiences across the world, make Once one of the most talked about and succesful films of the year. It makes you wonder what is it about this film that got people all hyped up. The key to its succes probably can be summed up in one word: simplicity. No big effects or action scenes, not even beautiful camerawork or lighting, just a story to tell. A story which is told through song and shows the lifes of a struggling singer and a young mother. Once has a lot of charm and will appeal to many people who enjoyed Little Miss Sunshine or Me And You And Everyone We Know. It's that type of film. A film which focuses on feelings and emotions. One that tries to get straight to the core of your heart and touch it all over. Even though Once is a beautiful little film, it ends up not being all that special and leaves you with the feeling there are films around which are better....

A History Of Violence
2007-12-08 10:53:00
When A History Of Violence starts the thing that immediately catches your eye is the lighting and the overall smoothness of the image. Expecting images that seem much more poetic, what A History Of Violence gives you are images you nowadays see in blockbusters. It was this that surprised knowing it's a film made by David Cronenberg whom you expect to make little films without the blockbuster look. How weird this choice at first may seem it does fit the film, which is based on a graphic novel and at the end feels to have some similarities with Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. So far having only seen ExistenZ, a great film which really challenges you and keeps putting you off track the moment you think you have it all figured out, A History Of Violence was to be expected to provide the same. Also knowing Cronenberg's interest in media and knowing a few things about his film Videodrome, A History Of Violence seems a departure from this all. Telling the story of Tom Stall who is mistak...