Sort list by: title ↑ | rating | view date

• "Band of Brothers" (2001) (mini) 4.5/5

  2007-02-10 22:11

  

  There are several reasons to like Band of Brothers. First, it is plain fun to witness the camaderie and feel involved, thanks to the superb cinematography (thanks to Remi Adefarasin and Joel Ransom. Second, it sketches the characters in greater detail than any movie, by sheer virtue of its length (ten episodes).
  
  Sometimes it feels awkward to watch a war movie and feel entertained, as I did when watching this one. Yes, there were frequent moments of pity and horror, but I can not deny I felt joy at times. Ultimately, it piqued my interest and I felt compelled to do some background reading on some subjects that were addressed (e.g., the shearing of Dutch women caught with the Germans) so I got something out of it.
  
  My only complaint is that the script is not as innovative as other aspects of the movie.

  0.3

• 2046 (2004) 4/5

  2007-03-23 22:30

  

  Like with "In the mood for love", I left confused and feeling like I had watched a Wong Kar Wai movie. The man has a distinctive style, all right. If I only understood what it was about I would probably like it, so like his previous movie, I will have to watch it all over again. Fortunately, the movie, with its lush cinematography, lyrical score, novel editing, and eye-pleasing costumes, is rich enough to make this worthwhile.
  
  I think the narrative style was more complex than it needed to be. The jumping between stories got confusing, but it also made me decide to watch it twice. An intentional decision on the director's part, perhaps?

  0.3

• Amerikanische Freund, Der (1977) 1.5/5

  2007-03-05 00:39

  

  This movie barely deserves a review, but here goes: it's boring, disjointed, poorly written and edited.

  0.3

• Becoming Jane (2007) 3/5

  2007-08-24 13:08

  

  I used to like period dramas, especially Victorian British ones, but I find them a bit stuffy now. This one held my attention, but I doubt it is going to become a classic. The material is interesting, since it focuses on a true story, yet it was just another period film, in my estimation. The editing was confusing at times (I'm thinking of the fight scenes, in particular). I also find James McAvoy annoying (and not just in this performance) but that's just me.
  
  I watched this on the airplane, so my concentration might not have been at its peak. Overall, a servicable film. Worthy of viewing during a long flight, at least.

  0.3

• Bekleme odasi (2004) 2/5

  2007-01-26 22:40

  

  A depressing film about a director who fails to adapt Crime and Punishment (played by the real director, Zeki Demirkubuz, though he claims the film is not autobiographical). Film about losers are rarely entertaining. This one is marred by limp acting and low production values.

  0.3

• Blades of Glory (2007) 2.5/5

  2007-08-24 13:13

  

  I really like Will Ferrell but I wish he would stop cranking out these ill-conceived comedies. Same applies to Ben Stiller, but back to the film at hand.
  
  What we have here are a pair of skaters, played by Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, who team up to defeat at skating the evil Van Waldenberg duo (played by Will Arnett and Amy Poehler).
  
  Some nice choreography, but it is not enough to save the formulaic script in which our heros, who initially hate each other, learn to co-operate in over to overcome their rivals. You get the idea.

  0.3

• Borat (2006) 4.5/5

  2006-11-30 12:50

  

  The most fun I have ever had in a cinema. Ridiculously over the top, and intelligent to boot. Comedy at its best.

  0.3

• Buena Vista Social Club (1999) 2.5/5

  2007-01-21 00:03

  

  Not being an afficionado of Latin music, I did not have any expectations. I found the production values sub-par for Wim Wenders, but the narrative device at the introduction of the old men looking for the Buena Vista was clever. I did not realize they were the musicians until the concert began!
  
  The music was nice, of course, as was hearing their anecdotes. I also appreciated the subtitles for the lyrics.

  0.3

• Carandiru (2003) 4.5/5

  2007-05-19 14:22

  

  Watching this film the second or third time, I am beginning to realize how finely crafted it is. Hector Babenco really knows his stuff! But you already knew that.
  
  What we have here is an extremely violent film about a Brazilian prison riot. I usually avoid violent films (no Kill Bill for me), but Carandiru is different in that it the violence is not gratuitous. The depth of the characters is astounding. Some serious research must have gone into this. I give it full marks on the technical scale.

  0.3

• Children of Men (2006) 3.5/5

  2007-01-21 19:12

  

  I had high hopes for this one. It had an interesting premise, and a setting reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys. All the time I sat in my chair waiting for something interesting to happen. "The good part is coming up," I whispered to my friend in the next seat. When the credits rolled I felt quite disappointed. Given the zeitgeist, I was expecting the film to make a stronger statement on prejudice, and provide a more accurate depiction of Muslims (although they might have been intentionally crude for ambiguity's sake).
  
  The cinematography, courtesy of Sleepy Hollow's Emmanuel Lubezki, was the most memorable aspect of the film.

  0.3

• Dolce vita, La (1960) 3.5/5

  2006-12-15 11:39

  

  Long and disjointed, Dolce Vita often had me wondering how we arrived at a particular location, or why certain characters suddenly disappeared. Do modern audiences really need to be spoonfed, or has storytelling improved since Fellini's time?
  
  Something I found interesting was that although Marcello was ever-present, I found it more interesting, perhaps due to his passivity, to watch the debauchery floating around him.
  
  I may update this review over time since I have only watched this movie once. My gut feeling is that Fellini relies too much on symbolism to convey meaning for my taste. I believe films should move the viewer on a visceral level, and overt symbolism gets in the way.

  0.3

• Elf (2003) 3/5

  2006-12-17 00:28

  

  I think I am going to give this a 6/10 though there is nothing wrong with this film. Just nothing right about it, either. Your average comedy. I bet kids love it. I watched it for the second time and I think I will pass on the next turn.

  0.3

• Iklimler (2006) 2.5/5

  2007-05-19 14:13

  

  So many objections to raise and so little time...where to begin? Here they are, in point form:
  

  • Don't have your sister play your lover; the sex scenes don't work.
  • Don't direct if you are going to play the lead actor. Especially if you can't act.
  • Don't have your leading characters spend all their time emoting. Especially if you have not given the viewers time to establish an emotional connection.
  • Stop the incessant smoking. It's depressing.
  • Don't use excessively long takes if you don't have good actors. Judicious editing would have gone a long way towards hiding the worst of the acting.

  Kudos to Nazan Kirilmis (Serap)! My favorite character; she had some maturity.

  0.3

• Knocked Up (2006) 3/5

  2007-06-12 15:30

  

  In this drama-length comedy, Judd Apatow dispatches a grim subject with the same flair he handled The Forty Year Old Virgin. I found Knocked Up more entertaining and engaging, since I could relate more easily to a man who accidentally gets her girlfriend pregnant than to a man who has not sex until reaching forty years of age.
  
  The characters are believable, the situations they find themselves in are, for a comedy, also believable. At times the humor bordered on the juvenile (my two European companions admittedly were disgusted). The editing was quite taut.
  
  All in all, a worthwhile comedy; a small notch above the mindless fare from Will Ferrell (funny as he is), the Farrelly Bros, Eddie Murphy (after Boomerang) et al. If it had been a drama, I would have criticized it for skirting the abortion issue (or rather, the shmashmortion issue), but I can not think of a good way to integrate it into a comedy either.

  0.3

• Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) 4/5

  2007-01-28 23:47

  

  The inevitable finally happened: magical realism made it to the big screen. And a pretty good debut it is. The story is set in Spain at the end of WWII. It centers on the daughter of an overbearing army general. The girl (Ofelia) finds haven from the brutal conditions around her in a fantasy land.
  
  It is amazing what you can do with a $5M budget when you do not have to pay any famous actors. The cinematography (Guillermo Navarro), editing (Bernat Vilaplana), and sound design (Martín Hernández) were top notch.
  
  I was wondering why the director, Guillermo del Toro, chose to depict so much violence--my stomach churned at times--until I ran across this quote:
  "It would be a cliché to say that, because I am a Mexican, I see death in a certain way. But I have seen more than my share of corpses, certainly more than the average First World guy. I worked for months next to a morgue that I had to go through to get to work. I've seen people being shot; I've had guns put to my head; I've seen people burnt alive, stabbed, decapitated ... because Mexico is still a very violent place. So I do think that some of that element in my films comes from a Mexican sensibility."
  
  Overally I think this is a great movie but it lacks depth. Capitán Vidal, for instance, was very easy to hate, but what made him tick? Somehow I think this movie will not reward repeated viewing. Perhaps that is because I did not leave the theatre with any questions?

  0.3

• Leben der Anderen, Das (2006) 3.5/5

  2007-02-19 22:18

  

  A fantastic debut feature by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose brother Sebastian is also film-maker. This film concerns the lives of a band of theatre artists trying to cope with self-censorship and simply being able to exercise their art in East Germany. These free-thinking artists naturally run afoul of the State Security apparatus. The Stasi places them under constant surveillance and we, the viewers, get to take a peek too.
  
  The chief surveillance agent, played by the wonderful Ulrich Mühe (the "doctor" from Amen), goes by the name of Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler, and it is through his senses that we vicariously experience "the lives of others".
  
  Wiesler is a peculiar fellow. He has no family--he hires voluptuous prostitutes. Being an interrogator on the side, he has learned to show no emotion. Yet, and this is my greatest gripe with the movie, is that he eventually feels pity for his prey. It is made clear that the citizens have no sympathy for the Stasi, so why would an upright man--i.e., someone who would have moral qualms about surveillance--join them? Even more dubious was the fact that the change in character happened quite suddenly. The only apparent inciting incident was his reading of a poem by Schiller. Other than that I quite liked it, although I do not think it has much re-viewing potential.
  
  Another nitpick is the ending. I wish it had ended with the shot of Wiesler walking down the street.
  
  One thing is for sure: this is a better, more intelligent film than Goodbye Lenin. Why do people feel the need to sugar coat everything? There was nothing funny about the GDR so let us treat it with the gravity it deserves.

  0.3

• Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) 3.5/5

  2007-01-23 10:21

  

  I had high hopes for this one, after glowing reviews like "the only American movie of the year I won't hesitate to call a masterpiece" (CNN) and "close to perfect" (NYT). Sadly, I came to realize that I was watching yet another cliche-ridden WWII movie. I even mentally marked scenes off a checklist ("the empathy scene", "the mutiny scene", "the letter-writing scene", "the distressed family at home scene", etc.) It felt like a pale imitation of Saving Private Ryan (which had the great advantage of being shot by Janusz Kaminski). Nevertheless, I consider this movie to be a great start at telling the war from the Japanese side. Kudos to Eastwood for his even hand.

  0.3

• Love Actually (2003) 2.5/5

  2007-01-21 18:52

  

  The British are milking the romantic comedy genre for all it's worth. Only watched it because I was in a plane. The only pleasure I got was watching Alan Rickman (Severus Snape from Harry Potter).

  0.3

• Manufactured Landscapes (2006) 2.5/5

  2007-07-08 09:05

  

  This eighty minute documentary centers on the industrial landscapes that are the subject of Canadian photographer's photography. Mostly it is set in China, with a little bit of Bangladesh at the beginning. I found this film curiously lacking in input from the actual photographer, so I think someone oversold me on the "documentary about a photographer" pitch. It was more about what he photographed, with Burtynsky offering tidbits of commentary when he felt like it. Overall I thought it was competent--the sound editing was especially good--but a bit boring by virtue of the landscape. For example, to prove how big factories in China are the viewer was made to watch a five minute dolly shoot across the assembly lines. Not the most efficient way to prove a point, but that's just my opinion.

  0.3

• Starter for Ten (2006) 2/5

  2007-01-21 19:01

  

  A (yawn) coming-of-age story. Another one I was stuck with in a plane. Debut novels are often strongly autobiographical, and David Nichols' effort is no exception. Maybe his college years were more exciting than mine but they were still not worth making a movie out of. Maybe teens would like it?

  0.3

• The Godfather: Part II (1974) 5/5

  2007-02-19 12:33

  

  I realize now that what I most like about this film is its realism. It has none of that pulp dialog people have come to expect from gangster movies. I immediately think of the lyrics to The Friends of Mr. Cairo, Jon & Vangelis' take on The Maltese Falcon: The cops are outside. Luke's in the car. Come on, let's get the hell outta this joint.
  
  Secondly, the incorporation of historical events, like the Cuban revolution and the 1963 Congressional Hearing on Organized Crime and Illicit Traffic in Narcotics make for a very engrossing movie. The viewer feels like a voyeur peeking into the life of a real mafia family.

  0.3

• The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) 4.5/5

  2006-12-06 23:53

  

  One of those wonderful films where everything comes together. The only thing I did not like was Adam Alexi-Malle's caricatural characterization of the French music instructor, Carcanogues. The leisurely pace allows the viewer to savour all the film has to offer.

  0.3

• Trzy kolory: Bialy (1994) 4.5/5

  2006-12-17 23:36

  

  Great movie about equality, in the context of a relationship. I argued over the meaning of the ending with my roommates for ten minutes. I think Dominique was acting out of desperation and deception, whereas one of my roommates insisted that she acted out of love, in wanting to get out of jail so they could get married again.
  
  A good film to spark a debate about the meaning of love.

  0.3

• Ultimo tango a Parigi (1972) 3/5

  2007-05-31 15:12

  

  What an utterly vapid film, and a total waste of a good actor. It felt like sensationalist film whose only aim was to shock viewers, for no purpose at all. The plot was intentionally disjointed to distract viewers from the fact that the film has nothing to offer.

  0.3

• Wedding Crashers (2005) 3.5/5

  2007-02-10 21:57

  

  I shouldn't like this vacuous movie but I do! The premise is great, and Will Ferrell, as Chas, steals the show at the end. My chief complaint, and this applies to most Hollywood comedies I have seen in the last ten years, is that they are very formulaic. Yet I am not sure whether a more original comedy would necessarily be more fun, which is what matters. Maybe it is more about the execution?

  0.3

List generated by WP Movie Ratings.