Displaying Review 6 - 10 of 21 in total

• Tragedy told through comedy — for Everything Is Illuminated
  Written by lovelyT on 13.04.2010

  I just have to write a review about this one. I've watched it 2 hours ago and I simply cannot allow anything not to be mentioned, although this would hardly happen, taking into consideration the effect this movie had on me.

  To summarize it even before I begin: I'm fascinated, thrilled and happy. Why? Because this movie proves that there is still some heart and soul in Hollywood movies, told in such a simple, but unforgettable way.

  Maybe I'm a sucker for this type of movies, minding my behaviour while watching La vita e bella, but there is just something magical in them. These movies are so fantastically written and portrayed, with such simplicity and without any superfluous parts.
  This one starts as a full-blooded comedy, putting aside its theme for the moment. I couldn't stop laughing. Everything was so funny and brilliant that I kept asking myself: "Is it really so difficult to write a good, simple scenario and give it to the right people?" This movie proves the opposite. There is one famous actor in it (Elijah Wood) and all others are unknown European people (people, because many of them haven't even played in any other movie), which in my opinion makes this movie even more interesting. I would mention Boris Leskin (grandfather) and Eugene Hutz (Alexander) who gave the performances of their lives. I was so surprised with Eugene Hutz (lead singer of a music band Gogol Bordello, a great gypsy band), who, with his Russian English coloured every scene in the movie.

  Numerous details are the things that make this movie unforgettable. For example, the way Alex pronounces Jonathan's name, the explanation why grandfather has a seeing eye bitch and the most memorable one, the conversation about Jonathan's being a vegetarian. The latter one is the scene which I could watch over and over again.

  As the plot thickens, we figure out that there is much more than a comedy in this one. It is tragedy wrapped up in humor and hilarious moments, so that the viewers can accept its end as calm as possible. Me, it took me by surprise and even brought few tears to my eyes. Maybe because it is based on a true story, story about a Jewish collector who travels to Ukraine to find something about his grandfather's past and life during World War II.

  In the end, kudos to Liev Schreiber, a wonderful actor, who proved to be a fantastic screenwriter/director and enabled us, the viewers, to relive this story and to feel all of its components, from its funny to its tragic parts, guided by memorable, breathtaking characters.

  Without any doubt, one of my all-time favourites.

  LovelyT

• A story about vampires never told — for Låt den rätte komma in
  Written by lovelyT on 25.04.2010

  Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!

  This is definitely one of the most disturbing movies I've seen in years. It tells a story about two misfits who build a strong relationship, no matter of their situation and harsh life stories and completely different backgrounds. It shows the intensity of children relationships and honesty they do not fear to accept and defend.

  The story is extremely well thought of, leaving the viewers no time to wander off and turn their heads away. You simply want to know more. You don't even expect special effects or grandiosity. And you won't get it. This is not a blockbuster which relies upon loud music and good-looking vampires having sex and drinking blood from mortals. Everyone who expects a Hollywood type of a vampire movie will be deeply disappointed.

  This is a realistic story about a boy and a girl (?) who don't fit into their environment and start enjoying the company of one another. There is only one "minor" issue. She is a vampire; and a hungry one, an issue which starts to cause problems in this small town near Stockholm.

  This movie fascinated me in so many aspects. Vampire's characteristics are portrayed in such a minimalistic way, but you don't feel that you've missed out on something and haven't learned something about them. Just the opposite. The way these characteristics were explained and showed was the best part of the movie for me. We find out about their velocity and strength, about their sensitivity to sun, the fact they can infect you and the most interesting one for me - the fact that they cannot enter your house, without being invited in. This is one side which the title of the movie is referring to. The other one is much deeper and I will leave you to watch the movie to discover this by yourselves. It is pretty disturbing, on one side beautiful, but on the other so terrifying and frightening.

  This is the type of a movie which will cause that feeling of discomfort in you, leaving you with thoughts about whether you should feel sympathy or disgust. It is slow, with few dialogues, but perfectly made with help of beautiful music and setting which simply invite for this story to be told.

  LovelyT

• One of the most astonishing stories ever told — for Edward Scissorhands
  Written by lovelyT on 18.05.2010

  Let me begin by saying that Tim Burton is my favourite director and that I absolutely adore 90 % of the movies he has ever made. But none of his movies can replace Edward Scissorhands, which is by far for me the most beautiful movie Burton filmed and it will be very difficult to reach its greatness and brilliance, not in special effects and technical parts, but in the story it tells and its characters.

  I simply have no bad words for this one, I cannot find a single flaw here, because in my opinion this movie offers its viewers everything, from a great plot, wonderful music and colours, the combination of real life and imaginary world to an insight into the American way of life, people's prejudice and simple mindedness and cruelty and non-acceptance towards everyone who differs and doesn't fit the frames of a "perfect" society.

  It is also one of the most beautiful love stories ever told, pure and innocent and a story about friendship and human's need and will to protect the weaker.
  It is full of humor and funny situations, which for a moment turn you away from the harshness and cruelty of other people, people who don't understand and don't want to accept someone who is different.

  Although told in Burton's specific tone, with a mixture of fantastic elements and wonderful pictures, this is a story that perfectly depicts the society we all live in. On the outside, everything seems perfect, people live in their perfect little homes with picket fences, tell stories about their perfect lives, but on the inside there is much more to discover. Their world is a gray book, which lacks pages and illustrations.

  Edward is a project of a brilliant scientist's mind, an unfinished "human" with scissors where his hands should be. He is scared, innocent as a baby, a character which incorporates the primal characteristics of a human, until he enters the grownups world and starts to feel all these emotions towards people who are close to him.

  The cast in this movie is so well chosen and everyone portrayed his/her characters in such details that it gives the viewers a complete insight into various types of people.
  This is the movie where I "fell in love" with Johnny Depp and started to appreciate his work, his ability to change and completely protrude into his characters, especially in Burton's movies, where he gave his best performances. Winona Ryder is beautiful as a messy teenager who doesn't know how to accept her feelings, which differ from her previous beliefs. Kathy Baker and Diane West left me speechless with their housewives' roles, portraying two different women, with different values.

  In the end, there is music, Danny Elfman's tones which give this movie that final touch and make it one of the most astonishing stories ever told.

  LovelyT

• When things start to go wrong — for Rosemary's Baby
  Written by lovelyT on 06.06.2010

  This is what I call a good horror movie. When you don't have any gore elements, when you don't hear protagonists scream from the top of their lungs, when the plot develops gradually and builds suspense which will drive you mad if you don't find out what's really happening.

  Rosemary's baby is a masterpiece, a movie you could watch over and over again. There are few situations which you simply can't understand and start asking yourself: "Why did he/she do it? Couldn't it have been different?" There are pieces of a jigsaw that get solved through the movie. Everything makes sense, but there is still some hope that the movie would take a different path.

  The story begins with a couple of newlyweds who buy a beautiful big flat (previously belonging to a lady who died under suspicious circumstances) in New York with plans of starting a family and living in joy and peace. They become friends with an elderly couple next door, somewhat pushy, but nice. But it's not all roses. Soon there's an accident when a girl who's been living with the couple commits suicide and the relationship between Rosemary and her husband starts to grow colder. But they are still trying on the baby and after one unexplainable night, Rosemary gets pregnant. This is when all the trouble begins.

  I won't reveal much more about the movie's plot. The movie draws you into its perplexity, you start to ask million questions and try to convince yourself that that's not really happening. But, it is. It is as bad as it looks. And it will never end, oh no, it won't.

  After you finish watching the movie, you can't help but ask yourself: "What would I have done if I had found myself in the same situation? Do I understand the protagonists' actions?" This is such a smart movie which questions human psyche and digs deep into human's mind to find some answers, to show what a hopeless woman/man would all do when he/she finds himself/herself in such a horrible situation and with such a dreadful destiny.

  LovelyT

• Please Mr Polanski, don't play with us that way!!! — for Le locataire
  Written by lovelyT on 06.06.2010

  After watching Rosemary's baby I decided to see The Tenant. I was drawn mainly by its plot and the way I was feeling after having seen the Baby. And this movie made me feel even worse. Mr Polanski really managed to scare the hell out of me with this one, too.

  This movie is so slow that after watching it for one hour you start asking yourself: "Well, when will something begin to develop here?" And soon after you think that, that's when it all begins. The paranoia, the fear, the unexplainable things that start to haunt the main character, Mr Trelkowski, brilliantly portrayed by Polanski himself. Is it all part of his imagination, is he crazy, are his neighbours trying to make him mad? Who is playing with whom here? Well, honestly, Polanski is playing with us, the viewers. And he makes it so damn good that you don't know more what's true, who's good and who's bad, who's crazy and who's sane.

  The plot is pretty simple. Or it begins that way. There is a new tenant in the building, a French citizen from Poland who rents an apartment where there used to live a girl who committed suicide but still lies in the hospital. After few days, he finds out that the girl died and officially becomes a new tenant. And again as in Rosemary's baby, there are some strange things going on in and his building. Unknown people stare at him through his window, his neighbours complain about the noise he supposedly makes in the night, some of them try to convince him to sign a petition against other tenants. The only person he trusts is the girl he met when he visited the girl that committed suicide. But until when will this last? He convinces himself that the whole neighbourhood is against him and that they want him dead, which eventually ends pretty nasty.

  Polanski is playing a mind game with his viewers, leaving them space to decide on the movie's end. But what is certain, it will trigger some thoughts, it will raise questions and it won't definitely leave you speechless. On the contrary, you will force yourself to resolve its mystery. And yes, I think you won't look out your bedroom window that night ;)

  LovelyT