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 European Cinema 2013-2015, Notable Films |
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 Mar 22 2015, 10:54 PM
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#1
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 BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742 
 
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I decided to open this topic about European movies. I watch many of them and I think that it wouldn't be great to open different threads for every single one of them. So, I will exclude the official submissions for "Best Foreign Language Film" and I will add less popular/succesful movies here. My first movie will be "Suzanne"!
"Suzanne" is a French social film which was released in my country's cinemas last May. Although it was selected in several downtown theaters, it did not initiate our interest to go and see it at that time, because the big blockbusters had begun to make their appearances. However, a neighborhood cinema selected it over one month ago and Suzanne was a good alternative choice for that time. Last year, it was nominated for five awards César (French Oscar) from which it won the award for "Best Supporting Actress" (Adèle Haenel). Suzanne, along with her younger sister, grows up with their widower father and they face many difficulties of life during their childhood. Then Suzanne gets pregnant in her teens, and from there onward, things get even more difficult for her. However, Suzanne is not a person who thinks with logic and unfortunately – for her – the emotion plays a decisive role in her life. Her acquaintance with a rogue will make her leave everything back. To be honest, I hadn't read reviews and I did not even know what was the story of the film, so Suzanne was actual a "Kinder Surprise" for us. I wouldn't say that its evolution was boring although the pace was not fast at all. It is the first French film I see where the dialogues were not loquacious and contiguous. There were many pauses while the faces of the actors were seemed in deep melancholy. Although the film is particularly dramatic, there were neither tears nor hysteria during the plot. The performances were good enough from the three main actors and their characters looked pretty nice. Nevertheless, the writers Mariette Désert and Katell Quillévéré did not develop the characters as they should have had and for this reason we could not understand why Suzanne behaved in this way. Besides writing the script, Katell Quillévéré undertook directing and she could have given us at least visually more information on the role of the protagonist. Conversely, however, she preferred to present inexpressible Suzanne almost all over the course of the film, with less emotional outbursts. I have noticed that there is always something missing in movies that are directed by women while they could have been very good overall. This happened to Suzanne too, as we watched the life of a disorderly young woman without understanding her mentality. I guess that her story seemed a bit meaningless to most viewers. "Suzanne" won the Special Jury Award - Silver Alexander at the 54th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Also, the film won in the same festival the "Actress Award" for Sarah Forestie and the Artistic Achievement Award for the actor Francois Damian. Though, the film was not commercial in Greek theaters and it even failed to enter the Top 150 of film successes for 2014. Maybe, the promotion wasn't very good by the distribution company or maybe viewers didn't care for the script because French films usually perform well in my country. However, it seems that neither the users of IMDb were touched by the life of Suzanne, therefore it did not receive a high average score (6.8). Although it is not the best French films I've seen, Suzanne is seen pleasantly because of the alternative cinematic character of the protagonist. |
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May 19 2015, 12:37 PM
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#2
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Life of Riley" is a French comedy with drama elements which was officially screened at last year's Berlin Film Festival. It didn't win the Golden Bear but was awarded the Alfred Bauer Prize, which is given to films that open new perspectives in the art of cinema. While in my country, it was released on Christmas Day. We finally saw it two months ago in a neighborhood cinema that usually choses older movies with a fairly low price ticket. The truth is that we only knew the Greek and French title and we went to watch it without knowing any thing about it. We were convinced that it would be an enjoyable story. However, it was not pleasant to watch.
"Life of Riley" is based on the homonymous play by Alan Ayckbourn. This film plays out with three couples who live in the countryside of Yorkshire and in their spare time are amateur actors. They will learn a sad news about their favorite friend George Riley. The latter is mortally ill and has only a few months left. Nevertheless, the sad event will bring back the old personal affairs of the three couples, because they will reveal guilty secrets of the past associated with the central figure of the case, which is George. It's a story that basically talks about love, sex, human relations, theater and death. Since the beginning of the movie you realize the remarkable directing. There were not external shots. "Life of Riley" was filmed entirely in the studio La Cité Du Cinema Paris. However, the recognized French director Alain Resnais made sure to enrich the content of the film, with a few minutes of outside shots which reminded us a tour documentary. Moreover, there were some black-painted images -similar of those which have some literary books- that showed the homes of the protagonists every time before the settings changed. Unfortunately, Alain Resnais did not live to enjoy the success of his special film at the Berlin Festival since he died three weeks before it was displayed. While "Life of Riley" stands out enough from the other movies I've seen in recent years, the scenario was not the nicest. The story reminded me of the old Greek movies, without of course causing me laughter and pleasure like them. It had countless dialogues, the actors spoke very quickly and relentlessly and their acting reminded us of a more theatrical play than film. From the first half of the film I really wanted it to end because all that I saw seemed meaningless and hackneyed. Let alone, there was certainly no originality or inspiration about the story. "Life of Riley" is definitely one of the most irritating movies I've seen in the last decade in cinema. It was a very long story that had little positive elements such as some well written and cynical dialogues. You have to imagine that the cinema hall where we saw the movie, had an average age of 55, so I guess it's a movie for an older audience. However, it seems that IMDb users also did not like it much since it has received a moderate score of 6.1. Thank God that we spent only 2.5 euros otherwise I would have cried for my money. I would recommend it only to people that I do not like. |
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Jun 14 2015, 11:58 PM
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#3
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"A Place Called Home" is a Greek production which released in cinemas during last year's February. However, a neighborhood cinema selected it over two months ago and we went to see it mainly for the participation of the two famous local protagonists. I rarely choose domestic productions and the most recent Greek movie that I saw on the big screen was the excellent "Little England" by Pantelis Voulgaris. "A Place Called Home" was screened at many festivals, not very well known, but only in my country was there an official release. It was shown in limited theaters but it managed to fill the rooms in the first week of the show. However, we couldn’t say that it was a commercial success because it cost much more than it earned. At least, it was honored with 7 awards at the Cyprus International Film Festival.
"A Place Called Home" has to do essentially with marital reconciliation and human relations. The protagonist of the film (Myrto Alikaki) returns to her parental home with her daughter for a week. She also lives and works permanently in London. There, she meets a woman from Serbia (Mirjana Karanovic), who lives with her father (Elias Logothetis) and guilty secrets will be revealed during her stay. Do not expect to see something shattering since the script of the film is not much different from the sob stories which are shown in reality shows. Having said that, the script is based on a true story and its inspiration could come from these shows. However, the plot was so insipid and flat, which could not excite us at all. Though, not to be strict and categorical, the film was directed nicely. There were some good performances from the protagonists and it had some pretty good photograph. The newcomer Maria Douza did not undertake only the visual part of the film but she also wrote the script. So, we will forgive her because it was her first cinematic attempt. Nevertheless, do not forget that "A Place Called Home" has the most amateur / pretentious / fake reaction when two people meet by chance in the street after a long time. I’m not surprised that in this particular scene we can see the participation of the Greek actor/politician Nikos Orfanos. In this case, Mary Douza is not forgiven. "A Place Called Home" is definitely not one of the worst Greek films of recent years. Instead, I would say that it is a valuable production which was quite pleasant to the eye. It contained very bright images and the trigeminal Myrto Alikaki, Mirjana Karanovic and Elias Logothetis was quite good. Nevertheless, the story did not have a special meaning and I just watched something without being particularly worried. I mention this because the title of the film could be symbolic and the result will be profound. That’s why, the Greek productions fail to gather people in the cinema and unfortunately only brainless sex comedies make some decent earnings. |
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Jun 24 2015, 11:11 PM
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#4
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" was released in my country over two months ago. It is a British-Dutch production which is based on true events. It was the main reason we went to watch this movie. I didn’t know anything about this event, which took place in the center of Amsterdam in November 1983! The kidnapping of Freddy Heineken resulted in the largest ransom paid to release a person. About 16 million euros by today's standards! I thought that it might be slow to develop, but ultimately the film had more action as far as I expected.
The screenplay was written by William Brookfield and Peter R. de Vries and based on the book "The Heineken Case" of the latter. The truth is that the Dutchman Peter R. de Vries hardly agreed to grant material from his book in order to make the movie because he always demanded from relevant stakeholders, to be a faithful adaptation of events. For this reason, of course, he did not attend the premiere of the film because he had objections with the final result. However, "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" does not differ so much from the true events since there were many who have argued that the kidnappers had much in common with the characters in the film. They were ordinary people. The director of the film is the Swedish Daniel Alfredson, who does not have a big filmography under his belt but he did fine with his new work. However, I noticed that he only emphasized on the kidnappers, so the police of Netherlands seemed completely useless. I guess it may have been the most inappropriate police at that time, but they could have added some scenes that showed how they caught the kidnappers. Their presence totally reminded me of the "decorative houseplants". This part of the film, of course, did not reduce the performance of the film. Instead, "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" was moving rapidly, it had plenty of suspense, some funny scenes and nice interpretations. However, what I deduced from this cast, is that the former action hero movie star Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator Salvation, Clash of the Titans etc) have fallen into low budget films (see "Cake") and the interpretation of Anthony Hopkins in the role of Freddy Heineken referred more to that of Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs." I really wonder how the producers of the film did not notice it, since it was plain watching him on the big screen. Unless, of course, the mentality of the immensely rich beer tycoon Heineken also had in common with the personality of the most famous serial killer of cinema history. "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" does not tire us at all with its evolution and is seen pleasantly although it is based on a nasty incident. It presents the facts as stated by the kidnappers journalist Peter R. de Vries and is not intended to propagate what happened. Despite this, it did not receive the best reviews from professional critics and has received a moderate score in IMDb (6,1). Personally, I found it quite good and enlightening because it dealt with a very famous case that had preoccupied the public opinion in the 80's. |
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Jun 25 2015, 09:45 PM
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#5
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Loin des hommes" or "Far From Men" is a drama that premiered in my country over two months ago. It's a French production and the script is based on the novel by French Nobel Prize winning author Albert Camus "The Guest". The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at last year's Venice Film Festival but it missed the grand prize from the abysmal "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence". However, it received excellent reviews and won three smaller awards from the recognized festivals, including “Arca CinemaGiovani Award”, “Interfilm Award” and “SIGNIS Award”.
"Loin des hommes" takes place in Algeria when the indigenous people began to throw off the French colonial yoke. In a remote village, a teacher will be forced to accompany a dissident who is accused of murder in order to deliver him to the authorities. What I realized just as the film finished was the very strong photography prevailed over the substance. The amazing shots of Morocco where "Loin des hommes" was filmed, they were literally eye catcher. "Loin des hommes" had very slow evolution and the story does not give you more than what we already know. As long as you have philosophized albeit briefly in your life. However, the film highlighted important aspects of human life such as religion, friendship, love, etc. The French director David Oelhoffen was not limited to the visual part of the film after undertaking the script of it too. He did a pretty good job but it lacked by the intensity and fast pace. I suppose that some candidate viewers can be fooled watching the official trailer. Still though, "Loin des hommes" had well-written dialogues, remarkable music by Nick Cave and good performances. Especially, the one that stands out is Viggo Mortensen, who engaged in a very specific productions in recent years and he has already won the hipster audience too. Although his career took off with the "Lord of the Rings", he has chosen to redeem its success to more alternative films. "Loin des hommes" may not be a commercial film but it definitely has its own audience. By the way, the movie theater was full of viewers and it was the first time that I saw so many people in this cinema hall. I believe that movie experts totally supported this movie after major blockbusters had begun to be released at that time and the competition was very strong. However, it wasn’t bad as "Pigeon Sat on A Branch Reflecting on Existence" and I guess that the viewers would not have been disappointed with its total impact. Essentially it is a wandering film that will take you to the magical Atlas Mountains and it will sweep of away from the daily grind. |
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Jun 28 2015, 02:20 PM
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#6
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Hermosa Juventud" or "Beautiful Youth" is a Spanish-French social film that participated in last year's Cannes Film Festival. It was screened in the competition section "Un Certain Regard" and it received an Ecumenical Jury Special Mention! In my country, it's official release date was delayed. Only one cinema choose to have it in all of Athens over two months ago. I had previously seen the official trailer but the fact that it didn't go unnoticed in the last Cannes Film Festival, it totally intrigued us.
"Beautiful Youth" discusses the most topical issue facing Europe in recent years, which is nothing more than the economic crisis. The Spanish director Jaime Rosales aptly uses the relationship of a young couple who is confronted with the difficulties of our time. Carlos and Natalia virtually represent (as characters, lifestyle etc) thousands of young people in Southern Europe who have lost every dream and hope for the future. After a while, they decide to shoot an amateur porn video, with the only purpose to make money. However, after some time, Natalia becomes pregnant. With the coming of the child, things will become even worse for them, because jobs are not available anywhere but they both haven’t financial support from their parents. The latter, of course, are in the same situation with their children after the crisis because it just hasn't effected an age-specific population, but all kinds of people. "Hermosa Juventud" has an intense dramatic style, but at least it hasn’t the familiar cliché type such as tears, hysteria, weeping etc. Jaime Rosales along with Enric Rufas wrote a realistic scenario, which doesn’t have the goal to stir feelings but more trouble or worry the audience. The fact that the director enriched the image of the film, with personal moments from the life of the protagonist couple, that passed in the form of slide show on the screen, so that to gain time with this way of directing, it was something that made it stand out from the other European productions last year. However, he used social media which is an integral part of life of current youth. In addition, the interpretations of the two young actors were nice, the directing was quite good but the progression in some parts may have tired most viewers. It is one of the few movies I've ever seen in my life, which concern young people and it was so slow. Let alone, the director made very close-ups on the faces of the two protagonists, something that I have never appreciated in other movies too. Despite this, I liked the whole result and it managed to spread several political messages with the particular story. "Beautiful Youth" - which was not so beautiful for argument's sake - is a remarkable European production that aptly reflects the economic environment in Southern Europe. Do not expect to see something that you do not know, because the same things are happening in the majority of European countries in the last five years. Nevertheless, the scenario will help you to reconsider many things since the story of the young couple is not too far from our own lives. In the IMDb, however, it did not touch the few users who rated it although the film received fairly good reviews from the experts in the film industry. PS Carlos looks exactly like Zayn Malik. This post has been edited by Insomnio: Jun 28 2015, 02:22 PM |
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Jul 2 2015, 08:08 AM
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#7
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Une Nouvelle Amie" is a French production which was released in my country's theaters over two months ago. To be honest, I did not know many things about this movie, but I had not even intended to watch it on the big screen. However, my participation in a contest with a free double invitation to the Avant Premiere of the movie, it was decisive! I have to admit that it was the first time I won tickets after I literally have spent a whole fortune at the cinema. So, I didn’t have high expectations from "Une Nouvelle Amie".
"Une Nouvelle Amie" begins with the friendship of two young girls, Claire and Laura, which remains constant over the years. However, once that Laura births her child, she will die after a very short time and the tragic event will cause Claire to fall into a deep depression. The latter will unexpectedly meet a special and eccentric woman called Virginia and she will develop friendship with her that will make her to discover unknown aspects of her life. Having read a similar summary of the film (this is my own though), I felt that "Une Nouvelle Amie" is a purely female movie. I was definitely sure that I would be unbearably bore in the cinema hall. However, the film was not at all predictable as it has been predisposed to me by the summary of the promotional brochure for the film and I showed enough interest in the development of it. "Une Nouvelle Amie" is based on the homonymous novel by Ruth Rendell. The recognized French director François Ozon, was the one who undertook the directing and the script of the movie. Having seen the good enough "Dans La Maison" two years ago, I can say that "Une Nouvelle Amie" had mystery and plot twists. In addition, the interpretations of the two protagonists Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier were very good and they could both have a nomination for the César Awards. Actually, only Romain Duris was a candidate! "Une Nouvelle Amie" had also well-written script, good photography and moving melodies by composer Philippe Rombi. Despite this, the imagination of the director went wild in the last half hour of the film and some of the script gaps left us unanswered questions. Let alone, its plot reminded me a combination between Almodóvar's stories and the erotic scenes of "La Vie d’Adele." "Une Nouvelle Amie" is a social / drama although it has some very funny moments. Essentially, it is about the power of friendship and the personal choices of each individual and aptly presented through the eyes of director François Ozon. It was nominated in two categories of the César awards, including "Best Actor" and "Best Costume Design", from which it could have comfortably won the “Best Actor” category. However, it is a film that is seen pleasantly by everyone as it contains some scenes that might shock some viewers. It's one of the good movies that I've seen so far for this year and it deserves much more than the relatively moderate rating which received by IMDb users (6,6). I loved the soundtrack!!! |
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Jul 8 2015, 09:15 PM
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#8
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Cœur poids plume
Joined: 3 November 2007
Posts: 18,129 User: 4,718
    
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OOH
I am using this as a guide. <3 |
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Jul 22 2015, 08:45 AM
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#9
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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QUOTE(Harve @ Jul 9 2015, 12:15 AM)  OOH I am using this as a guide. <3 Do you have any suggestions for me? Did you watch European films lately? |
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Jul 22 2015, 10:13 AM
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#10
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Child's Pose" is a Romanian production that was released in my country’s theaters in October 2013. However, a neighborhood cinema chose to screen it three months ago and I seized the opportunity to watch it. "Child's Pose" made its official premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in 2013 and won the "Golden Bear" which is the biggest prize of the event! Moreover, it was the official participation of Romania for "Best Foreign Language Film" in the same year but unfortunately the American Film Academy preferred the incoherent "La Grande Bellezza".
"Child's Pose" is a social-drama that shows the pathology and dependent relationship that a mother can have with her son. The main heroine of the story, Cornelius, is a wealthy woman who struggles to part with her son from her life. The latter will be embroiled in a fatal traffic accident, with a fourteen-year child as the victim, and his mother will do everything to save him from prison. Romanian Călin Peter Netzer not only directed the film but also wrote the script along with Răzvan Rădulescu. Netzer had a lot of close-ups on the faces of the actors because according to his notes, he wanted to convey to the audience all the emotions, concerns and conflicts of the characters of his film. He presents the facts of the story in such a way so that viewers understand or even feel empathy for both the mother and son as the film’s protagonists. "Child's Pose" had pretty good directing, very intriguing scenario, well-written dialogues and a remarkable soundtrack. The interpretation of the protagonist Luminiţa Gheorghiu was excellent and I do not think the total result of the film would have been as good, if producers or the director had chosen another actress. Also, the evolution didn’t tire us at all and I can say that the last scene was the strongest in the whole movie! I guess there were a few viewers who were not moved by the finale. "Child's Pose" is definitely one of the best European films I have seen in the cinema in recent years! It’s not one of the films that gather a lot of people in theaters but it’s one of those movies that spreads many social messages to viewers. It has received a pretty good score in IMDb (7,5) while the connoisseurs of cinematic space wrote the best comments for its content. I would highly recommend it! |
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Aug 28 2015, 08:59 PM
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#11
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Cœur poids plume
Joined: 3 November 2007
Posts: 18,129 User: 4,718
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QUOTE(Insomnio @ Jul 22 2015, 09:45 AM) Do you have any suggestions for me? Did you watch European films lately? Have you seen Force Majeure? Every scene was SO well made. Of course every film makes you think, but I've not seen one that made me think so much from so little/events that are so ordinary. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was so blown away by the actual avalanche at the beginning of the film that I didn't pay attention to what individual characters did during the event and why it caused such friction until the wife elaborated. Or maybe it's because I'm a 21 year old who doesn't truly understand what being a father/a leader/a breadwinner is like and the responsibilities, expectations and pressure that entails? |
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Sep 22 2015, 08:12 PM
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#12
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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QUOTE(Harve @ Aug 28 2015, 11:59 PM) Have you seen Force Majeure? Every scene was SO well made. Of course every film makes you think, but I've not seen one that made me think so much from so little/events that are so ordinary. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was so blown away by the actual avalanche at the beginning of the film that I didn't pay attention to what individual characters did during the event and why it caused such friction until the wife elaborated. Or maybe it's because I'm a 21 year old who doesn't truly understand what being a father/a leader/a breadwinner is like and the responsibilities, expectations and pressure that entails? I watched "Force Majeure" eight months ago. I opened a topic about it. It was one of my favourites movies of last year! The avalanche was very impressive at the beginning of the film but I really gave attention to the characters of the story! I'm not a father but I'm old enough to know how people react when they are in danger. However, I appreciate the fact that you are honest about your thoughts and you don't pretend that you gave emphasis to the script idea. When I was your age, I never pay attention to the script too.. 
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Sep 22 2015, 08:59 PM
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#13
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Clouds of Sils Maria" was released in my country’s cinemas four months ago. It was originally screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Palm, but ultimately not intrigued the jury. Nevertheless, it participated in many international film festivals. It won the Louis Delluc Prize for "Best Film" and the misunderstood Kristen Stewart was awarded with the César Award for "Best Supporting Actress"! I hadn’t read the plot of the film but that fact that it took part in the qualified Cannes Film Festival and had multiple nominations in French movie awards, convinced me that its content may have had something to tell us.
"Clouds of Sils Maria" is a dramatic film, without of course to focus on weeping and wailing as other movies. The protagonist of the film, Maria, (Juliette Binoche) is an established actress who will participate in the same play that she starred at the start of her career. However, this time she will not portray the central character of the story (Sigrid), since the producers and the director thought that she is old enough to reprise this role. So, they will suggest her to play the role of Elena that suits her age and temperament. Maria and her personal assistant (Kristen Stewart) will stay in Sills Maria, a secluded and idyllic Alpine region, where they will practice theatrical texts. The acquaintance of Mary with the eccentric actor (Chloë Grace Moretz) who will portray the young Sigrid, as it will be crucial, because she realizes that the years have now passed and the young actors have already being changed by the oldest. The scenario of "Clouds of Sils Maria" reminded me of several points of "Birdman", although the latter was released later in cinemas. The Frenchman Olivier Assayas who wrote the script and directed the film, was for the fourth time contender for the Golden Palm! Although he failed to impress the jury once again, the film received positive reviews worldwide. "Clouds of Sils Maria" had interesting directing, well-written dialogues, magnificent photography and great cinematography. However, I think the interpretations of the main actresses were those who stole the show, after the film was based entirely on them. Juliette Binoche was great with her role while Kristen Stewart was a worthy co-star. Nevertheless, I keep some reservations about Stewart’ performance because her character in "Clouds of Sils Maria" reminded me of the same role she had in "Still Alice" and I wonder if this was due to a diabolical coincidence or because of her limited interpretation of talent. Though, she is the first American actress to win the César Award and this event honors the particular actress. "Clouds of Sils Maria" is a film based on the vanity of the art world, the psychology of the actors but also to women's concerns when midlife crisis passed. I cannot say that I loved the evolution of the story since some yawns quickly made their appearances. However, I quite liked the dialogues, the interpretations of the two actresses and the amazing shots of Sills Maria. Although it didn’t cost a lot of money for the production ($ 6.6 million), it failed to make decent numbers and its total revenues worldwide were quite disappointing. Something that it would have happened with Birdman too, if it had not received the numerous nominations and awards at the Oscars. I would recommend it to very specific people. This post has been edited by Insomnio: Sep 22 2015, 09:02 PM |
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Sep 23 2015, 07:35 AM
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#14
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thanks for being a sarcy lil bitch
Joined: 25 September 2007
Posts: 79,269 User: 4,397      
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I saw these this summer in cinema:
Good fun, very French. haha Beautiful scenes, fantastic atmosphere, amazing contrast between the countries. It lacked something for me but still I ranked it quite high. It was INSANE. My brain almost EXPLODED. Emotionally heavy story about the WWII aftermath. Some amazing scenes but it is worth watching the entire movie just for that fantastic ending tbh. It's really fun, sweet and memorable. I recommend this probably the most out of everything else I posted. |
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Sep 25 2015, 10:15 AM
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#15
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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Nice suggestions. I 'll take them into account! Did you watch the Russian film "Leviathan"?
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Sep 25 2015, 11:10 AM
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#16
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Pasolini" was released in my country four months ago. It was screened in the last year's Venice Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Lion and it was also presented at the Toronto film festival in the Special Presentations section. The protagonist of the film is the talented Willem Dafoe, who has participated in several productions in recent years such as "The Fault In Our Stars", "The Grand Budapest Hotel", "A Most Wanted Man", "The Hunter", "Nymphomaniac" etc. Although I have not seen a Pier Paolo Pasolini film yet, I was very inquisitive to watch his biography.
Do not expect to see the life of Pasolini on the big screen after "Pasolini" deals exclusively with the last days of his life. To be honest, I did not know it before, because I expected to watch frame by frame the most important moments of his life. On the contrary, the Italian director Abel Ferrara and the writer Maurizio Braucci were restricted to a particular time of his life and they did not develop all the personality of the famous director. As we all know, Pier Paolo Pasolini was a controversial figure in his time and his films divided the public in their opinions about his films. There were many who loved his work and several who hated it because of the provocative and violent content. Personally, because I have not seen part of his job, I can not express an opinion about it. However, after seeing the film I can realise some things about his filmography. Unfortunately, "Pasolini" was totally disappointing since there was no consistency in the script. There were several scenes that were surreal and you could not be sure about their contribution to the film. It also contains some provocative scenes that will surely shock the audience, as well as some classic songs which were heard towards the end of the film. They were quite irritating. Willem Dafoe was very good in his role but unfortunately one swallow does not make a summer. I did not like the directing nor the script of the movie, since there were several dialogues which were hard to understand. Abel Ferrara could have avoided all these fantastic scenes and he could have created a film that would have feautured the work and the personality of the eccentric director. Instead he preferred to make a special movie, so he could be more artistically recognized himself, overshadowing the central figure of history. In my opinion,"Pasolini" was a pretty bad movie which didn't have many things to offer to its viewers. It had a tiring directing thereby it caused me many yawns in the cinema. The only positive thing was the fact that we could laugh based on what we saw, so we had a pleasant time. In no case, however, it is a movie to watch alone. Also, it has received a low score in IMDb (5,8). I'm not the only one who did not like it at all. It has already been nominated for the worst movie of this year based on my personal list. |
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Sep 28 2015, 04:47 PM
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#17
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"Goodbye to Language" is the latest film of the recognized Franco-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard. It was originally screened at the last year's Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize along with the amazing "Mommy" of Xavier Dolan. Later, it participated in another international film festivals and was voted as the "Best Film of the Year" by the Association of Critics of the United States! I had not seen the official trailer anywhere and the truth is that I did not go and bother to look on my own. And that of course was my biggest mistake because if I had seen it earlier, I would have avoided watching this abomination/monstrosity on the big screen.
"Goodbye to Language" is divided into two parts. The first is the "Nature" and the second is the "Metaphor". However, the same pattern is repeated several times during the film. Since the beginning, I exclaimed "WTF" in the room. Do not expect to see a complete movie since "Goodbye to Language" had no cohesion in its evolution. You were likely to see bad editing, in which there were scattered scenes and were combined in an unrelated form. The film was lost in abstract philosophical dialogues, it had moderate to poor performances, amateur directing, unjustifiable nudity and anything else you can think of. Even farts! Meanwhile, a violin solaris sounded every now and then, thinking that something tragic will happen but it was not anything. It seemed like a weird dream that you could not explain when you woke up. It was no surprise that I fell asleep in the last 30 minutes of the film. Frankly, I wonder who financed such films in these hard times. It mostly evokes a poor amateurish attempt on YouTube than an acclaimed film director. It is 70 minutes long, but you will feel pain watching it. "Goodbye to Language" is by far the worst movie I've ever seen in the cinema! It was nonsense from beginning to end and I didn't find anything interesting and substantial about its content. Jean-Luc Godard may want to differ from the other directors, but mostly distinguishes -in my view- as caricature/colourful than an artist with vision. I haven't seen previous films from this director and I can't be the best judge, but "Goodbye to Language" certainly shows that this man has lost his mind. To imagine that I thought until recently that I wouldn't see a worse film than last year's "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence". I really cried, but because of the money I lost watching this film. This post has been edited by Insomnio: Sep 28 2015, 04:49 PM |
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Oct 16 2015, 11:22 AM
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#18
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"La famille Belier" is a French comedy-drama film that was released in my country at the beginning of summer. It was the second commercial movie after "Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?" in France last year. Having cut over 7,500,000 tickets and it received very positive reviews. I hadn’t previously seen the official trailer in a theater nor had I read the synopsis. However, I knew about its big French Box Office success and the fact that it was nominated in six categories by the French national film award!
The protagonist of the film is the 16 year old teenage girl Paula, who lives with her parents and her younger brother in a provincial French town. Along with school duties, she helps her parents in rural chores. Her life is not so common, since she is the only one in the family who can speak and listen and this has the effect of making her the sign language interpreter in the various cases involving her parents. However, things will become more complicated for Paula, when her father will make the decision to go for the candidacy for mayor while her mother will stand at his side. The life of the protagonist will change radically when the music teacher will choose her in the school choir and then he will propose her to take part in a singing competition that takes place in Paris. Paula will be found in a personal dilemma, because it is very difficult to part with her parents but also she wants to chase her dreams. Although it is a family comedy, "La famille Belier" had several touching moments which caused feelings to stir in the most viewers. The French director Éric Lartigau placed great emphasis on the film's script and funny aptly combined with the dramatic scenes. However, I noticed that its development didn’t have a solid performance, as the rhythm fell somewhat sharply, which occurred mainly in the first half of the film. However, the second part had more rapid evolution and some notable tracks that were heard by Michael Sardou, helped enough in the overall result. "La famille Belier" was very funny and it had clever dialogue, interesting plot, nice direction and very good performances. The young actress was excellent in the main role and I thought that she was an experienced actress. However, Louane Emera had never attended acting classes and her participation in the French The Voice seemed to help her in being selected for the film. She interpreted professionally the demanding role and won the appreciation of critics everywhere. Moreover, she won the César award for "Most Promising Actress"! Equally good were both of her parents, François Damiens and Karin Viard, who caused more laughter with the eccentric characters who they impersonated. The two screenwriters of the film, Victoria Bedos and Stanislas Carré de Malberg, inspired a beautiful adulthood story, containing abundant moments of joy and several doses of emotion. However, I must mention that there seemed to be somewhat exaggerated movements of the hands of François Damiens and Karin Viard, since it alluded somewhat to parody. Of course, the director did not intend to ridicule the sign language of the deaf but the fact that many viewers, mostly women, cluck unconsciously during the movie, it didn’t leave a very good impression on me. In the open air cinema which I saw it, they sat in the front seat, three young deaf people who did not laugh with all of them. Maybe, the director should have avoided some wicked dialogues which made reference to corresponding hand movements. "La Famille Belier" is definitely one of the most pleasant French movies I've ever seen on the big screen in recent years! Although I do not go crazy for French cinema, when released worthwhile French productions, there is no way to lose them. The French are very fond of cinema and it is no coincidence that the country ranks second in production worldwide film. First are the Americans, of course."La famille Belier" is one of the best film proposals this year and it was a sleeper hit in my country’s Box Office! I didn't find its official trailer with english subtitles. What a shame! |
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Oct 25 2015, 09:08 PM
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#19
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"La Isla Minima" is a Spanish police thriller with socio-political implications, which was released in my country last June. It had great success in the Spanish Box Office (6.300.000 euros) and was nominated for 17 Goya Awards from the Spanish Film Academy, from which it won 10! I didn’t know many things about the film's content but I didn’t want to miss it on the big screen because I'm a big fan of police thriller and I have heard good things about it. Its projection in the open-air cinemas during the summer, tied perfectly with the exterior shots of the movie.
"La Isla Minima" is set in the early 80s, when Spain was in a political transition period from the Franco dictatorship to democracy. In a town in southern Spain, two police officers are trying to obtain information about the disappearance of two missing girls. However, they have ideological differences, but the mystery that exists behind this issue, it will bring them closer during their research. However, both will realize very soon that this is not a simple case of disappearance. Anyone reading the synopsis of the film, may realize that this is not a "virgin birth". We occasionally see similar stories on the big screen and the fact that only women are victims, this scenario does not cause so great impression. Still though, the pretty good directing, the heavy photography (the aerial shots were exciting), the elaborate editing and the atmospheric music, contributed enough so that the film stand out from other European productions we have seen in recent years. The Spanish Alberto Rodríguez was not limited to the directorial piece of film but also he wrote the script along with Rafael Cobos. His work received very positive reviews from the critics, so it was no coincidence that he was awarded the Goya Awards for "Best Director" and "Best Original Screenplay". However, for the latter I am cautious, because as I mentioned above, we have seen many movies with similar theme. In addition, the interpretations of the lead duo were quite good, although the characters were not so special. How many times have we seen corrupt or unethical police officers, but they will always come in stark contrast with the impartial and conscientious fellow? And even in this, the story of "La Isla Minima" had no originality. Let alone, the development was excruciatingly slow and it had to spend a whole hour to acquire great tension and suspense. Maybe Alberto Rodríguez wanted deliberately to make a grande finale, from which, however not missing the familiar plot gaps such as the real motivations of serial killer etc. "La Isla Minima" is a very remarkable production which completely won the critics and the audience in Spain. Despite this, I consider that the technical part prevails enough against its substance. Definitely not a bad movie but I think it was quite overestimated by the Committee of Goya film awards. The fact that it overshadowed the excellent "Wild Tales" in all categories that were suggested along, just as injustice can be described. Although it shouldn’t give me a bad impression as the "Wild Tales" is not a "thoroughbred" Spanish film in contrast with "La Isla Minima". However, its acceptance was quite satisfactory from the first weekend of viewing by the Greek audience too! |
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Nov 12 2015, 02:30 PM
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#20
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BuzzJack Gold Member
Joined: 4 March 2010
Posts: 3,526 User: 10,742
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"The Blue Room" is a French production that was released in my country last July. Initially, it was screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival, in the "Un Certain Regard" section, which competed with 19 other films! It is based on the novel by the distinguished Belgian writer Georges Simenon! I had seen the official trailer a few months ago and I found it quite interesting. Moreover, in recent years we rarely see erotic thrillers on the big screen and I think summer is the best time to watch these kinds of films, either at the cinema or at home.
"The Blue Room" evolves in a small provincial town in France. Esther and Julien meet secretly in a hotel room. They're both married, but the forbidden passion has overcome them and they constantly have unbridled sex. However, this will not last too long, after both of them will be found guilty of two crimes. The director of the film is Mathieu Amalric, who wrote the script along with Stéphanie Cléau. However, their contribution was not confined only there after impersonating the two main roles of the story. Despite this, they didn’t manage to create a remarkable film since they paid close attention to love scenes. Honestly, I have not seen more nerveless movie in the cinema. There was no tension and suspense, the plot progressed very slowly and the story was not as intriguing as it looked in the official trailer. Almost all the actors interpreted their roles with an unprecedented apathy and dialogues were few and meaningless. Although it had short duration, I begged for it to finish as early as possible, especially after the brief intermission which the open air cinema did at the half of the film. It may have had good photography and soundtrack but the overall result failed to get our attention. Is it possible to direct an erotic thriller with so indifferent characters? Honestly, what did they expect to tell us with this story? The two writers / actors are a couple in reality too. I imagine that they had the desire to create a film in order to make widely known their sexual life (exhibitionists alert!), but I cannot understand why the viewers should have an opinion about it? I am sure that the majority of them or at least a large portion of the public did not choose to see it for this reason. Although there were some erotic shots in the official trailer. Nowadays, nudity is abundant on the internet and do not need to resort to the movie theater to see something sensual. "The Blue Room" has received a modest average score by IMDb users (6.3), which means that few were those who liked the content enough. "The Blue Room" is certainly one of the most disappointing films of the year. It gives the impression that you will see a tight thriller and you end up seeing a lackluster story. Apart that does not explain what happened in the end and you live with unanswered questions. At least, the jury of "Un Certain Regard" didn’t give the prize to this mediocrity and they chose the exceptional "White God"! |
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