There are times when scenes from a film haunt your mind for days. Calvary is one of these films. It gets your attention from the start.
The tail of the Innocent, the circle of unjust violence, the way to escape from it. The fact that we, as people focus now days more on defaults than on virtues. The fact we may underestimate the best virtue of them all.
Do not miss it.
There is a tendency to watch movies recently released. One may however wonder, what was filmed in the past and how good it is compared to what is released today. Sometimes films that are fifty years old address the same issues we encounter today. The actors, the scenery, the pace, the style may be different. Cinema, as any form of art, reflects society. How much society has changed in the last fifty years?
My voyage to Italy is an exceptional documentary which will open your appetite for films of the past. Films which are rarely filmed any more. You should not miss it.
My rating: 08/10
The Lunchbox substantially deviates from the films we use to see. It is like a breeze. It takes place in India. The difference in culture should provide an obstacle to understand the feelings, the attitude, the habits, the relationships, practically everything constituting the movie’s raw material. Yet, Ritesh Batra manages to make a westerner feel at home, understand the emotions and the thoughts of the characters and lose oneself in the plot. An original plot which has become a rarity.
You should not miss the Lunchbox 🙂
My rating: 09/10
Provocatively different in numerous ways, 3-Iron is a story about dream and reality, a strange (but descent) point of view regarding taking and giving, the rules we live by, the rules imposed on us, violence and its side effects and … transcendence!
My rating : 09/10
Well, there are some good ingredients in Transcendence, numerous references to up-to-date technology, all put in the blender along with some terrorists (ah, these people! they are unbelievable in what they may do!) and the juice is ready to pour! Well, it is not entirely bad, just do not expect too much.
My rating: 05/10
Why did I like “The Human Stain” so much? Because it speaks of so many important things with a direct and indirect way at the same time. About things one is born with and can do nothing to change, the decisions made because of them, friendship, the desire to live and enjoy life, the realization of what is important and what is not, the measure of sorrow, a caress that was intended but was not given, a hug that means different things for two people who care for each other…
Well, it is based on a book with the same title and despite the fact that I have not read the book, Robert Benton made an amazing movie played by an amazing cast. This is not a film to be missed.
My rating: 09/10
Fabian Bielinsky’s Nine Queens is a film that starts with a good pace and builds up as the plot moves on. There are changes upon changes that keep you wondering what is going to happen next, the story is very good and nothing is certain till the last moment, A film about con jobs well set up, told and played. One of the best in its kind/
My rating: 08/10
‘Only Lovers Left Alive‘ is a mythical, dream-like, poetic film which redefines what we used to see on-screen for vampires. The subject is a repulsive one for me. However, there are numerous things that give it another dimension. The philosophy of the main two characters, the value towards life, the film’s atmosphere imposed by its photography, scenery and rhythm make it one of the best (if not the best so far) of Jim Jarmusch. Tilda Swinton is ideal for the role, like the actress ‘to be expected’ in such a film (remember Orlando?), Tom Hiddleston excellent on her side (makes you wonder if its is the same person acting in Thor).
My rating: 09/10
The Quiet Earth is one of biggest flops in science fiction movies. Ever. Avoid it.
My rating: 02/10
PS. Not only good movies, but also bad movies can bring one back to … blog life!
Most movies have to do with stories. This is one of the reasons I recently enrolled in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called ‘the Future of Story Telling’. If you want to participate, it is free and you may follow the link to register. It is really interesting.
In the first assignment, participants were asked to:
… think about a story you have read, seen, listened to, played or experienced has impressed you most in your life. … Which story can you still very well remember? Write down both, the summary of this story (what you remember of the story, not what Wikipedia says.. 🙂 and – on the other hand: – what made it so special to you that you can still remember it.
Retell this story by giving a short summary of what you can remember of it. (in less than 400 words).
Think about (try to remember) and write down what fascinated you most about this story. What can you remember best? What impressed you most? … Its characters? The locations? The plot? The style and voice of the story? Or maybe even the surroundings of how this story was told, maybe by your parents, grandparents, or maybe in your first self-read book? Tell us the story OF the story so-to-speak. (less than 500 words).
There was no doubt in my mind what that story should be. It was ‘The Matrix’ (1999). For someone entering this blog for the first time (or not personally knowing me), just the film title gives the wrong idea, unless there is an understanding under the action-layer used by the movie to convey a deeper meaning (will come back to this later).
What was really interesting, was the summary of the story (attention: contains spoilers!), resulting after couple hours of work. It was like seeing the skeleton, the bare bones of someone you love without flesh! It had no resemblance whatsoever with all the things you cherish him/her for. May be that is the goal but regardless of that, the result is still very interesting. It generates thinking which is after all the goal of the course.
So, the second part, which is the “story of the story” (analysis pending), has to restore the balance! It has to convey the logic and the feelings for the preference of that story among other beautiful stories.
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