Oslo, 31. august, 2011

Oslo, 31. august, 2011
Director: Joachim Trier
Cast: Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olav




Stage: local Art Cinema Dvor





Oslo in short: One day in the life of Anders, a young recovering drug addict, who takes a brief leave from his treatment center to interview for a job and catch up with old friends in Oslo. 


Preps: I have missed this one on the last year movie festival Liffe, therefore I am more than curious what it is about. I know the plot, but I am wondering whether this one will seize beyond usual depressive mode of scandinavian pieces that reach our land.


Reality: The piece is dedicated to one single day in a random drug addict's life. The question is, how representative it really is in sense - does it represent how it really is, or is it exaggerated in any way.
To have only one day in the complete piece, you need to make it dynamic. This movie is made this way. The guy is running into people from his life and is exploring if they still are supporting him and how did they take the fact that he isn't average person in his 34. He just got out of the drug recovery clinic and needs way to build his life back.
The movie addresses several levels where someone like this guy needs to climb before the life as he knew it, or said better the life he wants right now, can be built. The challenge is always in trust. Noone from all the relatives or acquaintances trusts him. Nor does someone that is aware he used to take heroin, even though he is off for several months.
I believe in general this is one of the worst decisions one can do for himself. Unfortunately there is no road back. The society throws you out faster than a stone through a window. How obvious in this piece, the poor guy doesn't have anyone to talk to, anyone to get anything for him. Naturally he has lost the faith he needs to have for himself, therefore he is insecure and doesn't feel accepted as it is. The interactions he has with the society disappoint him so he is trying to escape all the time.
In the end the depressive thing about the complete plot is that his escape in the end is to the white line he started the whole issue with.

The movie is dramatic and precise, moral and educative. I believe everyone should see it for psychological reasons. For I am sure that the place where it ends, is brilliantly described in this piece and am even more certain that noone would like to be in his shoes at any point of time.

This is a separate topic, however, a suicide never can be an answer. In this case, it is an option. I can understand how this guy is driven to such a decision. 


My personal rating: 7,5 (superb showoff how tuff a life can be after you have gone out of institution and the society should give you a strong push not to get you back where you were before)

Oslo on IMDB

Carnage, 2011

Carnage, 2011
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly



Stage: Home theatre. Substitute for the movie under stars at Ljubljana Castle. And got a fairly good quality.


Carnage in short: In Brooklyn Bridge Park, eleven year old Zachary Cowan strikes his eleven year old classmate Ethan Longstreet across the face with a stick after an argument. Among the more serious of Ethan's injuries is a permanently missing tooth and the possibility of a second tooth also being lost. Their respective parents learn of the altercation through Ethan's parents questioning him about his injuries. The Longstreet parents invite the Cowan parents to their Brooklyn apartment to deal with the incident in a civilized manner. They are: Penelope Longstreet, whose idea it was to invite the Cowans, she whose priorities in life include human rights and justice; Michael Longstreet, who tries to be as accommodating as possible to retain civility in any situation; Nancy Cowan, a nervous and emotionally stressed woman; and Alan Cowan, who is married more to his work as evidenced by the attachment he has to his cell phone and taking work calls at the most inopportune times..


Preps: I need to see this. It's Polanski. And I heard it's brilliant. I am not in the mood to make it up to the castle for this one. Fortunately, I can get it in one hour and almost start watching at the same moment :)


Reality: The beginning is somehow calm. The two families, trying to come to an agreement. I could never expect such an explosion of emotions is coming. Polanski took the scenery very serious, placed it very statically - this means we never get to leave the room these four people are locked in.
This is the hardest thing to do. Make a static scene interesting. Yet Polanski succeeds. I am out of breath from the first moment on.
The calm aristocratic family (and the other one, similar to the first one), start of civilized and friendly. In a way you would start a business conversation. However, with the conversation proceeding, they turn into wild things, animals for sure. I cannot believe the way the couples are behaving first towards complete strangers, then towards each other. The way women take sides against men is simply excellent and leaves me with a fresh breath of pure irony. Plus, the men and their habits that reveal. The four persons show themselves in the worst possible way. Completely without any limit, prejudicial, filled with depression they didn't express prior to this unique opportunity. The room is the place, where vomit literally breaks loose, fighting for your own existence and if they first wanted to make an impression (in a fashion of Keeping up Appearances and "lady of the house speaking", Hyacinth) on each other, later this is no longer important.
The worrying part is the fact that at the end, noone remembers why they gathered in the first place. The dispute they had is no longer relevant, only the blame and anger they nurture against each other. A drama that turns into a horror, leaves me breathless and with a deep respect for Polanski. Worth every minute.


My personal rating: 9,0 (excellent. Plus, 80 minutes, that seem like five).

Carnage on IMDB

Shame, 2011

Shame, 2011
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale



Stage: Home theatre, late night with an aim for a good piece


Shame in short: Brandon is a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life. After his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment, Brandon's world spirals out of control. From director Steve McQueen (Hunger), Shame is a compelling and timely examination of the nature of need, how we live our lives and the experiences that shape us


Preps: It was at our "creative" theatre, a while ago, when this piece became notorious. I wanted to see it at that point, knowing the storyline, and was deeply interested. But I never made it to the movies. Anyhow, seems like a proper night to spend it on this.

Reality: Well, like McQueen's Hunger, this piece also strikes hard into one's perception of the world. Following Fassbender with his pervert actions and fantasies from the start feels like fun and is really intriguing, however with the depth of the movie (the length), you get the feeling of loneliness. Striving towards fulfilling human flesh hunger cannot replace feelings and emotions that happen in relationships. Having everything at a distance may seem like a good place to hide or a good way to avoid trouble, however, it is vividly shown, it also leads to loneliness, depression, introvertism.

Brandon is constantly trying to escape, surpresses his own feelings and own soul and lets noone near him. Only the surface you may smell, he might be thinking, every time he makes an interaction with any female. On the other hand, watching this I get a distinct impression sex is around every corner, if you want to see it. The intriguing thing is that the only time Brandon comes, is when he's paid for sex or when it happens in a way you can smell a prostitute (or a prostitute like relationship). The scene, when he cannot come hard with a woman he really likes, is really sad and makes me doubt even more if this is the way someone can really lead a life.

The only rescue path he's offered and obviously refuses, is through his own sister, the person that just walks into his perfectly set life and makes a mess out of it. He doesn't like it and almost forces her away with dogs, but she's persistant and just won't go away. Is this the way a relationship with your relatives is supposed to be or work? I believe also relatives need to deserve respect and not take anything for granted. I believe we should respect one's aim to be alone and lead a private life. However through some sane observation, one could simply state that Brandon represents a loonie, someone fit for mental institution. And to others he could be a hero. He is everything a "nomal" person isn't. Especially when it comes to pervert thinking and making it real. I doubt that a lot of people have such a distinguished collection of porn things at home.

The walk through a small part of Brandon's life keeps me sad and emphasizes the feeling of loneliness, yet alone, the feeling of wanting to hold someone and just be grateful for this. We aren't meant as some kind of sex machines or some tokens one takes just when he/she feels like having fun. Having a relationship can in my opinion bring much more satisfaction, because at that time, even sex has a different approach and meaning, and is not perceived just as a midnight sport.


My personal rating: 8,0 (sad and depressive, solid drama. A wonderful interpretation of what becomes of someone if he closes into a basket and leaves noone besides).



Shame on IMDB

My Week with Marilyn, 2011

My Week with Marilyn, 2011
Director: Simon Curtis
Cast: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson


Stage: Local theatre Komuna, afternoon screening


My week in short: Sir Laurence Olivier is making a movie in London. Young Colin Clark, an eager film student, wants to be involved and he navigates himself a job on the set. When film star Marilyn Monroe arrives for the start of shooting, all of London is excited to see the blonde bombshell, while Olivier is struggling to meet her many demands and acting ineptness, and Colin is intrigued by her. Colin's intrigue is met when Marilyn invites him into her inner world where she struggles with her fame, her beauty and her desire to be a great actress.


Preps: Hm. Two oscar nominees. Michelle Williams, who I adore ever since Brokeback Mountain. Marilyn Monroe, the icon I respect deeply. Need to see this. I get on a byke with one of my best girlfriends and drive to the nearest movie on a nice sunny afternoon.



Reality: Marilyn Monroe drives deep in veins. I am not so fond of the movie for the first thirty minutes, however, later on I get used to Williams' interpretation of Marilyn and I truly start to enjoy it. Marvellous. The cast of Williams is truly something you can only bow to. I am amazed of the interpretation, the sexapeal she shows and I cannot let the eyes of the screen. One of the best interpretations of someone I have ever seen.
On the other hand, I see Emma Watson (Harry Potter) growing into roles. Deep respect also for this girl, she has a shiny career ahead of her, obviously. Not really a great role, however, she stayed in my radar and I noticed her ways of expressions.
Now, the main topic, being naive or smart? Or on the other hand, being a celebrity brings glory and pleasure, or pain?
In this case, I believe it's a good showing of the special world celebrities live in. No place for real life there. Deadlines, schedules, normal walking through the streets.. forget it. Was Marilyn Monroe really such an icon? I suppose she could have been. Have the guys really fallen down to her knees without having the ability to say a word? I suppose so. Something that works like the Beatles. She came in the room, she shot some screens and all people in the room just fell to their knees. Now how brilliant and amazing is that? There weren't many icons in our world that could brag with something like that. I believe that this is something you cannot teach yourself to be or pretend. Either you are or you aren't, and that is the way things are. You are either born such a star or not.
The story of Marilyn is sad and depressive. Was she really that naive? Hm.. striving not to say unintelligent.. The scenes you see in this piece are a surreality show. I am in the skin of the director and I can identify completely. I couldn't stand such a team player in a project. I am striving to see how you achieve coping with this. When you need a celebrity ass and you cannot stand it. The movie is a struggle, from the start to its end, yet, at the end, I am satisfied.


My personal rating: 9,0 (splendid piece, I am sorry Williams didn't get an oscar for this. She bloody deserves it :)))


My week on IMDB

The Iron Lady, 2011

The Iron Lady, 2011
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant


Stage: Home theatre, a good easter evening with a few of my girlfriends.


The Iron Lady in short: Elderly and a virtual prisoner in her own home due to her concerned staff and daughter Carol, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first woman prime minister, looks back on her life as she clears out her late husband Denis's clothes for the Oxfam shop. Denis is seen as being her rock as she first enters parliament and then runs for the leadership of the Conservative Party, culminating in her eventual premiereship. Now his ghost joins her to comment on her successes and failures, sometimes to her annoyance, generally to her comfort until ultimately, as the clothes are sent to the charity shop, Denis departs from Margret's life forever.



Preps: Meryl got an oscar for this one. The piece I need to see. I am a fan of Streep, however not in this sort of movies. She somehow gives me a perception she might be better in lighter movies. This is a drama, a notorious one, because none of UK (nationalistic spoken) citizen want to acknowledge/praise this piece. It's supposed to be telling quite the opposite from the truth. Therefore, one way or another, I need to see it and am anxious about it.



Reality: Well, one thing is certain. I get the part where UK people don't want to express any gratitude towards this piece. None of us wants to be portrayed in this manner - being helpless and having memories of the past chase you up to the point where you cannot tell the reality from your hidden past. In some sense, the movie portrays a wrecked human being, being so ill that she can no longer deliver what she once could.
The devastating and really realistic part is when you are trying to figure how hard must it be for the family, friends to acknowledge that one person is not the same anymore. That it is sick beyond belief. And what to do about it. Lie to everyone? Accept that this is a fact most of us are faced with at some point in life? And that also strong polititians are just humans and cannot avoid it. Obviously in political world, the stamina of an image (in terms of what the perception of a crowd for this person is), is the most important one. For this image, some polititians are willing to cross any border possible, only to maintain the image. At any cost. Is this a good thing or not, is a matter of a discussion. However, in my eyes, the "human" touch that this movie poses to the iron lady, doesn't influence on my opinion of her deeds in past. In some sense, it only portrays the everlasting effect of getting old and having to live with it. Surpassing the pride and accepting that some positions are going to slip from us once we are too old /incapable of living up to the expectations. I just want to point out that I am aware that the hatred of UK towards the movie shows their deep admiration and loyalty towards a polititian, which isn't a bad thing, however in some cases it may not lead to the wisest decision on the political floor.
The other thing that is really intriguing about the movie is the simple walk-through through Margaret's life from the start. How she ended up in politics anyway and how hard it must have been, being the first lady on the floor. Having a room where you cannot have whiskey, but you do have an iron and a desk to iron something (how weird is that)?!?. The negotiations, where you cannot be equal to men, like it or not. A hard path, yet necessary to improve the position of a lady on political dance floor.
This piece isn't really dynamic and could be shorter. Hard piece to watch, especially if your mind trembles with fear of once getting to that point, where you can see ghosts from the pasts that chase you and are trying to persuade you they still exist, advise you and talk to you. In some sense, one of the hardest movies lately, showing reality as you are clinging to the position you are probably no longer able to maintain.

My personal rating: 6,5 (hm. interesting in terms of surpassing the image when getting old. Definitely a too long and non-dynamic piece. But Streep is marvellous).


The Iron Lady on IMDB

The Artist, 2011

The Artist, 2011
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Cast: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman,



The Artist in short: Outside a movie premiere, enthusiastic fan Peppy Miller literally bumps into the swashbuckling hero of the silent film, George Valentin. The star reacts graciously and Peppy plants a kiss on his cheek as they are surrounded by photographers. The headlines demand: "Who's That Girl?" and Peppy is inspired to audition for a dancing bit-part at the studio. However as Peppy slowly rises through the industry, the introduction of talking-pictures turns Valentin's world upside-down.


Preps: The first one after the Oscar night. Five oscars. The best movie of the year included. I presumed it's a marketing trick and that it's not that good as all claim it is supposed to be. Like the fashion fly you see and you are addicted about a few days, then you are wondering what the hell happened to your intelligent mind to be tricked this way :) But let's see.



Reality: the story is one of the most real ones in any show business /art. There comes a time when the star of the year is jsut a thing of the past. Eaten by time, another star, another style. Dealing with this makes most of artist sway away from their initial energy drive and in most cases they fall to their knees, because they are not willing to adapt. To the trends, to the people, to the show as it is from the new point on.
The divide between the silent movie and the movie as we now it today, was striking through the roof. I am sure the story can be easily placed in that time. I kept wondering who did this Dujardin look like. Then I remembered, he reminded me of one of the greatest clasics, Gone with the Wind and Rhett Buttler (1939 movie; with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, I loved this piece). So I like the guy already. The charm he has, is (I swear) just as if I was watching Gone with the wind, where I absolutely dreamt of meeting a Rhett Buttler for me one day. So I am bought. On the other hand, the first lady in the house, Berenice Bejo, is like Ginger Rogers or some nice exception in Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O' Hara. The energy between the two is seen, noticed, remarkable.
Now, the only thing that a silent movie can be praised and understood upon, is the music. The most important part of the movie, if we don't hear it. What happened with music in this piece, I don't know. But it's the shittiest part of this movie and makes it very average. Such a shame. I believe it might have been truly one of the greatest heroic deeds this time, but because the music doesn't reflect what the charactes are saying, I am pointing my thumbs down. See and judge for yourself. Don't get me wrong. The selection of the music is good. It is not just a lovely music to hear, it's the music to dry your bones of emotions. But the asshole that placed the tunes where they are in scenes, doesn't know what he/she is doing. Because not that they don't back the scenes we are watching, you need to really guess if the couple is fighting or not, are you supposed to feel sorry for someone, etc. The sound doesn't do the job and it's one of my biggest dissappointments in this piece. Don't want to see a silent movie if it doesn't know how to place the music. I am speaking for most of the scenes. In some of them they really took the right piece to back it up. But the most of them are out of tune.
I was dissappointed to the point where I could just walk out of the movie and erase it. There are some brilliant ideas in the movie. The dog. I love it. The fashion. I want to embrace it. The looks of the two main characters. I would love to look like that and to taste like this on big screen. Plus, the energy between them. Like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire.
Is it a marketing trick? I believe it is. Something different, something we didn't see before. Something the whole world would just stare at, with mouth wide open and yearning of something creative. Anyway, in my eyes, it's not enough. I don't want to guess what the main characters said. The music is supposed to tell me. So I am a bit stubborn and want the whole deal. Plus, the War Horse didn't get a thing, and in my eyes, more than one attribute to win over The Artist.


My personal rating: 6,0 (something new on the market, watchable. I want it to work with music, though. This is why I take a lot of points out of this piece. The story, however, is solid and a classic, the energy between the two is extraordinary).

The Artist on IMDB

Take Shelter, 2011

Take Shelter, 2011
Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Mike Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham



Stage: Home theatre


Take Shelter in short: Curtis, a father and husband, is starting to experience bad dreams and hallucinations. Assuming mental illness, he seeks medical help and counseling. However, fearing the worst, he starts building an elaborate and expensive storm shelter in their backyard. This storm shelter threatens to tear apart his family, threatens his sanity and his standing in the community, but he builds it to save his family's life.


Preps: The winning one of our LIFFE festival in Ljubljana. I was cut off with the tickets, grr. Therefore I waited for the HD home version. THe one in the oven. The one presumeably to see. I want to see it for some time now. After my Oscar dedicated week, it's time.


Reality: This one is one of more extraordinary ones and a good way to see the development of events, should preminitions have any value. In some sense, it shows how a pretty decent family falls down to its knees and burns in hell of psychiatry. A strong worker suddenly crashes because of preminitions he has, some weird dreams he cannot drive away even at daytime? Sounds weird, but believable. The chain of reactions he has on this dreams, is devastating. I admit sitting there with my mouth widely opened, as he starts being aggressive, putting his dog outside, to start with (which you never do if you love the animal, only if the animal is threathening or you are convinced it will harm you - nor you give it away for that matter!). He continues with the shelter, risking all the money he has to provide something solid for the storm that is supposed to come.
Something genuine in these deeds, that derives from historical role of a guy. To provide shelter and to protect the family. In some sense, they just didn't show the deer he shoots on his way back to the cave. So I get this idea he has, I am just deeply disturbed that it took wild dreams and halucinations to do this and that he didn't think of this in the first place. Now, the delivery of his idea and his fears, is horrible and makes the relationship almost fall apart at the very beginning. It is strange, how he behaves, obviously he doesn't react to his wife's call for help or her observations. The pride, before he takes a deep dive into the doctor's world and tries to help himself, isn't appropriate, yet fits to his masculinum figure he shows. The construction worker. Provider of the family. Tuff guy. No place for doctor there. I am sure you can imagine what I mean by this, but it fits perfectly. After the pride is gone, it's a downstream - we are like in this big river we cannot resist and we are watching how things are falling apart. Plus, you have the feeling that none of the characters can do anything about it.

I am mostly positively surprised to see Jessica Chastain in the mother serious role in this piece (seeing her lately in The Help made me wonder if she switched genres - despite the fact that I liked her witty side). Besides, roles like this in Take Shelter are her best appeareance so far. The Tree of life was also one of her good ones, also The Debt. All of the named ones serious drama genres with a good cast). Definitely a rising star in the industry. I love to see her in serious roles and I sense her energy. Plus, she's incredibly cute.

The movie will touch you and leave you stunned. It will ewoke some of the feelings you dare not to feel. And you will try very hard to understand the nature of the disease and the reasons behind Curtis' decisions. Don't overwhelm yourself. You will find shelter in psychological reasons, which don't need an explanation, because the territory is very unknown.

I don't know if I would call this the best movie I have seen on LIFFE, but definitely one of the more imaginative and interesting ones. The scenes are extremely well put together, the dillusions are great. Also, great to see Carol from Picket Fences as Curtis' mom. A good connection or possible explanation to the reality Curtis is facing now would be her illness.


All in all, the movie has a lot of attributes which puts it above the average and definitely worth considering. It is very dark, but I am sure that people that loved The Tree of Life or similar ones, will also pay attention and appreciate this piece.


My personal rating: 7,0 (good piece, but very hard to swallow, depressive and anxious at some moments - in the worst possible meaning, because it makes you truly sad).


Take Shelter on IMDB

A separation, 2011 (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin )

A separation, 2011 - Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat


Stage: Home theatre, post oscar fever :)


A Separation in short: Nader ('Peyman Moaadi' ) and Simin (Leila Hatami) argue about living abroad. Simin prefers to live abroad to provide better opportunities for their only daughter, Termeh. However, Nader refuses to go because he thinks he must stay in Iran and take care of his father (Ali-Asghar Shahbazi), who suffers from Alzheimers. However, Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter



Preps: Hot one in the oven. Has just received an oscar for foreign movie. I am more than curious and desperately want to see it.


Reality: One of the better ones on the topic of divorce, foreign customs and adapting to environment we barely know anything of. The divorce in this case (the separation) is metaphorized to present the separation from customs (and habits) of a family, which once was united and now needs to cope with new challenge; how to survive without mother. In countries, where we could bet that women aren't really being treated equally, it turns out that lack of woman figure in a household can make all in system, where everything worked before, crash. It is amazing to see how many problems derive of a simple fact that ex-wife is missing from the picture. The horrible events that take place after a new "nurse" is employed, they all contribute to the fall down of all so-called heroes in this story. It all revolves around truth. Is this the final virtue we should all strive for?

Separation gives us perfect examples and proof of concept, where a small lie about anything can lead to massive lying where you don't know how to fix that small lie from the beginning. In some sense, it implies the world would be a better place, if we all spoke the truth. Obviously it makes a strong statement, this piece, and sits in your heart with uniqueness of telling the truth and not bending it even for a bit. It is common in the lands where they praise Koran, not to lie. If you swear on Koran, you are doomed to tell the truth. Otherwise, the belief that something bad will happen to you, is so strong, that people cannot tell lies, if they swear on the holy grale of Muslim countries.

I loved the atmosphere because it was beyond anything I could expect from this. It cannot be anticipated, what will happen and what curve the events are going to take. Which takes all the points for the script. The scenes seem realistic, the energy between the actors seems good. The only upgrade I would make would be with the young daughter, who in my opinion, could do a better job with the cast. It seemed she didn't get emotional about the role. Maybe it's expected in this world. Cannot be sure, because I don't know the habits so much I could judge. However, I loved all the controversity about this movie that made me swallow it from its head to toe.



My personal rating: 8,0 (good one. worth seeing and thinking about it. The main message, is the strongest one I have seen in a while).


A separation on IMDB

Hugo, 2011

Hugo, 2011
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Sascha Baron Cohen, Chloe Grace Moretz


Stage: home theatre


Hugo in short: Hugo is an orphan boy living in the walls of a train station in the 1930s in Paris. He fixes clocks and other gadgets as he learned to from his father and uncle. The only thing that he has left that connects him to his father is an automaton that doesn't work; Hugo has to find its heart-shaped key. On his adventures, he meets with a cranky old man who works in the train station and his adventure-seeking god-daughter. Hugo finds that they have a surprising connection to his father and the automaton, and as he discovers it, the old man starts remembering his past and his significance to the world of film-making.


Preps: an evening with friends. We are talking about the Oscars, because I have three winners to see. This is one of them and Scorsese did an elegant acknowledged job, as he got three oscars for this piece. It would be interesting to see what the fuss around the tachnical part of the movie is about. For all the technical stuff, he got all the merit and fame, this piece.


Reality: At first I need to admit I am dissappointed. The story doesn't seem to drag me in the action. I don't get what the fuss is around this boy. Is he really living in the train station? The dillusions he has about his father... I am missing the background. Anyway, for the first hour of the movie I am deeply annoyed by the fact that I am fighting with the story and what the point is.
On the other hand, I am also deeply intrigued by all the technical details I see in this train station. I have never known what a station consists of. The same deal was with the Titanic, where they used Kate and Jack to show the observer what a giant for a fact that ship was. In Hugo, you have this in a shape of a young boy whose role is also to show what this station consists of. What the main things about it were back in 1930ies. I am also struggling to find the year where this is happening, obviously before WW2, but I didn't go into research until a later point.

Now, if the movie doesn't posess a strong story in the beginning or a rather vague idea what it is about, it evolves later in the middle. I am fascinated by the details and the sight of a robot, built in that time. The perspective, the photography, it all fits somehow together and makes this a remarkable piece. I have deep respect for the technical aspect of any movie, however I need to have it all. It is not enough just to make a technical spectacle. If I showed curtosy before to the Titanic, that movie had it all, powerful story, based on true events (which isn't a necesity to make a movie good), brilliant dialogues, wonderful cast, script, photography, technical aspects. No wonder it was audited as brilliant masterpiece of that time. In the case of Hugo, we only see technical perfection. It is a pleasure to watch Kingsley chase his dreams, but I cannot get the dialogues, the script is poor and without a soul, which at the end, contributes to my dissappointment in the piece as a whole.
It isn't necessary to have it all, if you want to win audience. But as always, I claim that you need the audience to pay you respect in the first twenty minutes. Not to figure out what the hell it is they are watching and give them technical brilliance. The voice, effects, no doubt, beyond imagination and one of greater things I have ever seen. But the story.. I didn't really buy it. To interact with audience, you also need the audience to buy the cast. Which I didn't. Still, remarkable and once in a few years, I totally agree with the academy - they really deserved that range of oscars this movie won. And I get it, why no praise for any of the interactive categories. Because the movie doesn't posess anything. Blue eyes cannot always save the day.


My personal rating: 5,5 (worth seeing for its technical part. But if you aren't patient enough, it might come to your nerves before the day breaks).


Hugo on IMDB

Puss in Boots, 2011

Puss in Boots, 2011
Director: Chris Miller
Cast: Antonio Banderas (voice), Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis


Stage: Home theatre


Puss in short: Years before meeting Shrek and Donkey, the adorable but tricky Puss in Boots must clear his name from all charges making him a wanted fugitive. While trying to steal magic beans from the infamous criminals Jack and Jill, the hero crosses paths with his female match, Kitty Softpaws, who leads Puss to his old friend, but now enemy, Humpty Dumpty. Memories of friendship and betrayal enlarges Puss' doubt, but he eventually agrees to help the egg get the magic beans. Together, the three plan to steal the beans, get to the Giant's castle, nab the golden goose, and clear Puss' name.


Preps: None in perticular. It is a hot one at the movies at this point.



Reality: Miaow. Who can resist Banderas' voice? Well, noone. Me not excluded. It is a privilege to imagine how Banderas looks like when he animates the cartoons. The same goes for soft Hayek's voice. I loved the two together in some scenes. Besides, Puss has a good story - following the legend of the golden goose and eggs, Jack and the Beanstalk, Humpty Dumpty. It has a story of a good friendship come to end because of betrayal, finding the right path and then reunion. After that, a downfall in the true cartoon spirit (the famous curve of happiness, which is beaten down by a bad guy or bad deed, and happy ending at the end. A classic, per se.
In this case, the humour is present at most of the dialogues, in a unique, ironic, not imposting way. I love the way the two cats dance around each other, falling slightly in love. And the spanish Banderas temperament is obviously seen here. I also hardly waited to see the look the cat gives to make everyone around faint of cuteness. It is really good to see a nice separate movie that makes Puss famous instead of just tagging around in Shrek. It wasn't really as splendid as I expected, but I love the way it is presented, the flow and energy. I just cannot get bored with this cartoon, therefore I claim it is a good one. It is a side fact that I am a cat lover and for that reason it is even more appealing for my point of view. But in general, the animation is good, the dialogues are witty, the music is splendid and it has more than one saying (proverbs) come true or being a part of the story. All in all, I cannot see a way someone would go with a bored mind and spirit after seeing this. Am referring, of course to the true american voices. Nothing synchronized - I despise this way of making a good movie more user friendly to the market. You should always leave the original voices and original pronounciation. Otherwise, you neglect the positive impact the director had in mind when choosing the cast and diminish their role.


My personal rating: 6,0 (mmmmmiaow! a good one. worth my time!)


Puss on IMDB

War Horse, 2011

War Horse, 2011
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, David Thewlis


Stage: Home theatre.


War horse in short: Dartmoor,1914: To his wife's dismay farmer Narracott buys a thoroughbred horse rather than a plough animal but his teenaged son Albert trains the horse and calls him Joey,the two becoming inseparable. When his harvest fails the farmer has to sell Joey to the British cavalry and he is shipped to France where,after a disastrous offensive he is captured by the Germans and changes hands twice more before he is found,caught in the barbed wire in No Man's Land four years later and freed,due to a bizarre truce. He is returned behind British lines where Albert,now a private,has been temporarily blinded by gas but still recognises his beloved Joey. However as the Armistice is declared Joey is set to be auctioned off. After all they have been through will Albert and Joey return home together?



Preps: One of the hot ones at the movies, got some recommendations and am anxious to see it.



Reality: This must be one of the more touching movies I have seen in a while. I cannot remember crying like this from Lassie, or some similar movies.
In any case, the scenery is fascinating. Is UK really that beautiful? I need to see it desperately! The beginning of the movie is harsh and realistic. They really didn't have money to get through life and couldn't afford anything. Still, this beautiful horse comes in the story as the fresh mint in your breath. Gives energy to that family and makes miracles. Miraclous horse, they say. Agree. I am a fan of animals, not really horses per se, but you fall in love with this one, when seeing this piece. You need to love this horse and Spielberg took care of the bond somewhere in the beginning of the movie.
By the way, the movie starts off with the most beautiful music, probably carefully chosen for this piece and it follows us within the movie all the way. Love it!!
Also, the novel that was the base for this piece, is written by a young novelist Michael Morpungo. Spielgerg got excited with the piece, in 2007 it had a theatre screening and he was figuring out how to get this piece on true screen. Now, in the real style of Finding Private Ryan, a good remake of this spectacle.

The main drive with the movie in my eyes, is the feeling of the horse. I got my eyes wet every time I saw torture of the horses, being dragged into a war. Especially this stallion and his black friend. I am not really a fan of scenes like this, but I am realistic also and know that millions of horses died while people were fighting for any kind of cause in the WW. It stroke me several times with the ruthness the sides in WW had and the cruelty they have shown towards all, people and animals.

One of the best scenes is saving Joey from the front, being caught by a nasty fighting fence. While two soldiers from opposite sides (english and german) cut the fence from a horse, they almost get friendly. A sad story. A lot of people were dragged into the war without them wanting it. In this piece, a lot of young warriors are shown, with terrified fearful look in their eyes, before they go to fight. They need to go, other way they will be shot. Terrible. This is not human. And yet, I understand, this is the way it was.

The story of this brave horse is a breath taking one, wrapping your love and heart into a bundle and if you are a softy as I am, it will definitely make you cry. I loved it, I deeply recommend it.


My personal grade: 9,0 (beautiful, just beautiful. I would cut down the scenes from the battle, but this is merely personal. Without them it wouldn't be so real and harsh. I can only applaude to Spielberg).


War Horse on IMDB

Parada, 2011

Parada, 2011
Director: Srdjan Dragojević
Cast: Nikola Kojo, Miloš Samolov, Hristina Popović, Goran Jevtić


Stage: Local colloseum, Saturday night, packed with crowd. Only a few seats left :) Luckily I am alone so I don't really care :)


Parada in short: A homophobic, middle-aged, Serbian gangster ends up sacrificing himself to protect Gay freedom in his country. RADMILO (35) and MIRKO (30) are young and successful gay couple, and they would be a happy couple anywhere else except in - Serbia. They try to live discreetly but still, every day they are abused by the homophobic majority. Plus, Mirko is a gay rights activist, and his dream is to organize the first successful PRIDE event in Belgrade. This is almost a "mission impossible"; in 2001, an attempt to hold PRIDE in Belgrade ended up in bloodshed. One decade later, the situation is not much better - nationalist and neo-Nazi organizations prepare another massacre in case of holding the gay parade, while the police refuse to provide protection for the participants. A strange couple arrives in Radmilo's and Mirko's life - LEMON (45) an ex criminal and war veteran, the owner of a small security company and his fiance - PEARL (30) a beauty parlor owner.


Preps: Well, the director is famous for some pieces that were quite notorious a while ago (Lepa sela lepo gore, Rane, Mi nismo andjeli) and I loved them for the dark irony and sadness, yet beauty they reveal as oppose to a simple Hollywood depicting the same scenes (there are some attempts of making Balcan wars and regional disputes popularized, yet it seems only balcan directors are able to do it properly for a different passion they feel towards these same historical actions).

In many ways it can see like a pact between different nations, because the final team to defend the rights of a minority, is constructed of different nations and representatives that shared terror in the war, yet remained friends. It is almost scary seeing them together, because based on the ex-yu war experience, you just expect them to get into a fight. After a while you can be assured they really remained friends and they are interested in a special deal Limun is preparing for them. Maybe for the sake of old times, maybe for the challenge it poses, because it is something none of those mostly homophobic people has done in his life service, maybe for some other reasons. It is truly nice to see them work together, although all the time I am still wondering, what the f.. :) - in a positive way. In no imagination could these five gentlemen work together 15 years ago. They couldn't stand each other at that point and would shoot on spot at each other.

In any case, the issue they need to deal with (on the outside and mostly on the inside), is their homophobic view of the world. Are gay people really people? First to accept this in order to defend their parade. Can you really defend something you don't believe in? Limun at first claims you can. You killed for money, you raped for money, now you are telling me you cannot defend gay people because they are gay? At some point he realizes that his own people really won't work for any amount at all, because they don't want to be connected with gays in any way. Terrifying feeling, watching how high the level of homophobia still is. I am sure most of the countries could practically share the same level, as gay people aren't treated as humans in most of the countries throughout the world. In Slovenia, my country, this is maybe not so violently shown (in the streets), but they aren't treated equal and maybe sometimes physical (non seen) violence can be even worse.
Serbia, in this sense, and Belgrade, is depicted as the country where mob rules the streets and even cops are bribed, so they act the way head mob people want them to. Limun as a powerful man, still finds it extremely difficult to persuade anyone to work for gay, instead of being a sheep and follow the crowd that casts stones towards this minority. The gay parade in this sense is only a metaphore, a separation between the traditional world (my son was ok before, because he was straight. I don't know what you are trying to persuade him into - the words of Radmilo's father) and the new age thinking (the woman of Limun, Biserka, clearly in favor of new age ideas, gays and people that think in a profound, cultural way, the way people that are strictly against gays, cannot). So this metaphore and the fight of 100 men towards a few individuals is more a quest of Sizif, but important one, as of that derive the following parades.

Can you change the way you see the world, if you are living in a scenery for complete lifetime? Can Limun really love gays? I believe, he can learn respect (hence, he follows them one year afterwards on the second parade). He will never be able to really love a gay as an equal. But he will treat them with respect, he learns in the complete setting of searching for defenders of parade. You aren't really born and choose what sex are you going to admire and have lust for. So you shouldn't be judged, because it's not really a mistake/weakness/choice. It's a fact and the world should realize it. Unfortunately there will always be groups like the one fighting against parade, individuals that feel their belief/sex/race/political side is better or the only one that is right. As long as those groups have access to weapons, we are in a threat of violence towards minorities. As said, seen in all the countries all around the world. Serbia is known for its heart, passion, belief in right. All other balcan countries also, but Serbia exceeds in its black/white view of most things. Either my way or highway, something like that. Even more than the other countries around it. I believe this is also the reason why Belgrade was chosen to be the centre of this movie.

A superb movie, worth every minute and so ironically funny along the way. You cannot watch it and not laugh, you cannot stand not to cry in the end, at least in your heart. Touching story and a good shake of the hands of the nations, that Srdjan Dragojević made. An applause.

My personal rate: 9,0 (I would change a few lines, or maybe expand some scenes. Apart from that, superb movie, worth seeing and even more, worth thinking about a lot)

Parada on IMDB

The Ledge, 2011

The Ledge, 2011
Director: Matthew Chapman
Cast: Liv Tyler, Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Patrick Wilson



Stage: home theatre, a lazy after holiday afternoon



The Ledge in short: A thriller in which a battle of philosophies between a fundamentalist Christian and an atheist escalates into a lethal battle of wills. Ultimately, as a test of faith, or lack of it, the believer forces the non-believer onto the ledge of a tall building. He then has one hour to make a choice between his own life and someone else's. Without faith in an afterlife, will he be capable of such a sacrifice?


Preps: Don't have a clue whatsoever. So I take the choice of someone, whose opinion means a great deal to me.


Reality: Well, the thing about thrillers is that they are supposed to make a span in your heart and frighten you at least a bit. This piece for starters, definitely isn't a thriller. However, the genre you are looking for, people, is drama. Maybe a family drama, or a philosophical drama. The philosophy, dealing with in the piece, revolves around family virtues, honesty, things you believe in. Either the family. Jesus, materia that evolves in materia after passing.. this piece is going to make you scream for the answers, yet you won't be able to find them. It's up to us, what we want to believe in. What are the virtues we want (or are willing to ) die for. How much do we cherish the honesty, in comparison to deeds that derive from something someone wanted to give to us, even though they aren't as honest as they might be?
Do you die for the person you love or is this egoistic towards that person? What feelings do we keep for the person that loved us so much that he(she) died for us? Or on the other hand, how far are we willing to go to follow a fairy tale, something we discovered or developed for all the wrong reasons and are the person we would like to be instead of being the person we are?

With more than those few incidents, the movie deals with the higher truth, something most of us don't ever think about and don't deal with. The act is supreme, despite the fact that Tyler isn't half a woman she could be. I hate her in the movie, for being so pale and unrecognizeable. Was she like this overall? Never saw that. Maybe because of the roles she played in. But I despise her in the movie. And I deeply admire the role of her husband and the lover. Energetic, different. The way they are supposed to be.

The movie has several cut offs. And several highs. Above the average. But if it did the extra mile with the actress, it would be superb.


My personal rate: 6,5 (a good piece showing more than promised. But definitely not a thriller, more a drama and one of the better ones in terms of things that can go through your mind afterwards. Could live without Liv Tyler, though).


The Ledge on IMDB

Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows, 2011

Sherlock Holmes: A game of shadows,2011
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Junior, Jude Law, Jared Harris




Stage: Home theatre


Sherlock in short: Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey, Jr.) and his longtime trusted associate, Doctor Watson (Jude Law), take on their arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris), with the help of Holmes's older brother Mycroft Holmes (Stephen Fry) and a gypsy named Sim (Noomi Rapace).


Preps: This is a hot cake in our theatre's oven. Especially because of my respect for Holmes I need to see it. However because of part one, I doubt I will like it.



Reality: Unfortunately I am correct. As I stated in my critic for part one, part two is a true example of a movie that doesn't have much to do with the figure designed and written about by Doyle. This Sherlock Holmes is a weird detective in Ritchie's eyes. I would expect a weird and somehow wacky enough movie to impress me by Ritchie. The problem is that I read all of Doyle's novels about Sherlock Holmes and I would love to see something like that series we were watching around 15 years ago.

As said, this piece is nothing like this. Combining action features from Matrix and similar movies, it takes us to Kill Bill like scenes, kung fu fighting and escaping bullets quicker than Tom Cruise in MI. A horrible mixture and horrible piece, if you are seeking for true Sherlock like the one depicted by Doyle.
However, if you are not, prepare for the mixture because it might impress you. I wasn't impressed, because I was looking for some true logic and mind games Sherlock Holmes was famous for. Instead, I got a lot of fighing, some gentlemen deeds and fear of love. Bljah. Ritchie was on something when shooting this. Or when reading about Sherlock Holmes. If you are trying to create a movie about a persona, why do it in such a weird style.. least to Holmes. The unfortunate deed for this critic is that I really adored those novels when I was a child. And am still fighting to see a good movie screening of this. Which Game of shadows definitely isn't. But you will find it intriguing if you aren't obsessed with the Doyle's figure.


My personal rate: 2,0 (despite the good movie quality this isn't really about Holmes. It's about Ritchie).


Sherlock on IMDB

New Year's Eve, 2011

New Year's Eve, 2011
Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Naomi Watts, Robert De Niro, Zach Efron, Hale Berry, Alyssa Milano, Jessica Biel,.. (a bunch of famous actors)




Stage: Local theatre, Christmas show in the morning


New Year's eve in short: The lives of several couples and singles in New York intertwine over the course of New Year's Eve.


Preps: wow, a bunch of famous people starring in this piece. Need to see it badly. But the critics are very bad for this piece. Well, couldn't hurt. Have seen several really shitty ones lately.

Reality: Wow. Every scene with some actor I admire or like to watch. For this, this piece is worth seeing. Like in Love actually. Or maybe Notting Hill. Or some other romantic comedies. Around NY you have them standing in a line, trying to get our attention. As said, the winner for the last five years is definitely Letters to Saint Nicholas. A touching movie you should definitely see.
But this one.. what was the budget for this piece? I imagine that the actors must have played for peanuts, because it's quite impossible to budget such a movie. It is definitely fun to see them all assembled, working in specific relationship issues (competition for the first baby, hating the idea of NY and falling in love in an elevator, trying to get your ex to forgive you for leaving her /escaping).. you cannot get fed up with these scenes, but it's not the movie itself that draggs the attention, it's the famous crew, I am sure.
The dialogues get sometimes really intelligent, otherwise, they cannot get rid of cliches and stories about xmas and NY and main resolutions you could make to make it count.
The drop of the ball is simply beautiful. Never knew this was such a big deal there. After seeing this movie, I want to see it live sometimes. This means the movie can be inspiring for some deeds in the future. And I strongly believe it to be a commercial to go and visit NY city. It is really obvious and I am sure that their economy will get a positive feed in the next months or in the next new year to come. And my personal wish.. I would sometimes like to be in charge of something as big as the drop of the ball for NY in NY city. I adore the position and the woman behind it. I think I could cope also with the challenge. In this sense I find the movie inspiring. Plus, a fun to watch. I especially laugh at the scenes and triviality of the baby homerun. Do they really get that amount of money? :) I would love to find out for real.

If you aren't burdened with the Xmas spirit, you will definitely enjoy the movie. It is fun to watch and pleasant to the eyes because of its crew. Plus, it has a positive philosophy: NY is about making piece with yourself. It's about finding forgiveness and a path for future, which doesn't carry burdens from the past. It's a period to reflect everything we wanted and got it and everything we wanted and didn't get it.



My personal rate: 6,0 (cute enough for this period. Plus, a parade of actors. Fun to watch. But don't worry about getting your mind overloaded. It's simple and plain)

New Year's eve on IMDB

Moneyball, 2011

Moneyball, 2011
Director: Bennet Miller
Cast: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill



Stage: home theatre, late screening


Moneyball in short: Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is handicapped with the lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win the World Series, Billy must find a competitive advantage. Billy is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.


Preps: isn't this the one with Brad Pitt, hot cake in our theatres? I adore the act of Pitt and want to see this.



Reality: Hm. Sometimes being a good actor means obviously that you take on shitty roles. I am dissappointed. Up to this point, the main movie in this genre for me was Any Given Sunday, a good piece about cruelty of sports world with Cameron Diaz.
Now, this perticular piece touches the economy of each club involved and the drama that can derive from a simple fact: actors are a currency and they are of value as long as they can play. And each club makes assumptions, statistics and creates a perfect team up to the level it can afford. Unfortunately sometimes they don't have enough sponsors or money to buy the perfect team, so they fill the spots with less important, less capable actors. And this in whole creates a lot of dramatic effects along the season.
As audience, we enter this world with Brad Pitt, a game creator, trying or struggling to have figures working for him. A prepotentious leader, who takes advantage of economist that makes the analysis and serves the data at a glance.

Even though what I wrote so far, sounds inspiring, it is the mere admiration to the topic. The movie isn't nearly as intriguing as for instance Any Given Sunday or some other sport movies. Brad Pitt doesn't act as he is supposed to, the energy between the cast isn't established and the audience is left hungry behind the bars. Yes, a good insight, however, not delivered good enough. What the director was thinking, I don't have a clue. But I am sure that he wasn't fighting for the piece. It loses me after half an hour. Don't really recommend it at all, unless you are a huge fan of sports movies. In this case you will find it completely average. My opinion is below that.


My personal rate: 0 (do something else, if you aren't a true fan of sport movies)


Moneyball on IMDB

The Guard, 2011

The Guard, 2011
Director: John Michael McDonagh
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Mark Strong


Stage: Home theatre


The guard in short: Sergeant Gerry Boyle is a small-town Irish cop with a confrontational personality, a subversive sense of humor, a dying mother, a fondness for prostitutes, and absolutely no interest whatsoever in the international cocaine-smuggling ring that has brought straight-laced FBI agent Wendell Everett to his door.


Preps: Another one waiting for my attention. But I don't have a clue what it's about.


Reality: One of the hardest time waiting to figure out what the movie is really about and why do I find it extremely underestimating to the audience (read: Stupid).
The scenes are wrong, the plot is really plain and the action we see is really trivial. Can I say anything good about this piece? I am trying very hard. Mocking Irish people in american cop world is .. well, I find it really lame. Drug busts are a worthy theme and comedies that revolve around them can be really strong. Or hard dramas. Well, this piece is neither of the both and even though I am struggling through the cast and its energy, I cannot bare it anymore. After 20 minutes, a shut down. I think it doesn't deserve your attention, or mine. I think it's a waste of time in more than one level. If we only had good quality dialogues, or scenes, or irony, or.. well, anything. A definite no no. How do these pieces even get the funding anyway, I wonder.




My personal rate: 0 (argh. Waste of time. Nothing in this piece to cherish or get familiar with. Skip it and do something better!)

The Guard on IMDB

The Thing, 2011

The Thing, 2011
Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
Cast:Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen



The Thing in short: At an Antarctica research site, the discovery of an alien craft leads to a confrontation between graduate student Kate Lloyd and scientist Dr. Sander Halvorson. While Dr. Halvorson keeps to his research, Kate partners with Sam Carter, a helicopter pilot, to pursue the alien life form.


Stage: home theatre, Christmas eve.



Preps: None in perticular. But I have heard roomers about this piece and I want to test them.


Reality: Well, it's a shitty movie, to be very direct in my first sentence. Where do the directors that want to shoot a movie about aliens come up with these weird ideas? Ok, you find a lifeform in northern pole. After 10000 years caught in the ice it is still alive. Right. Ok, I swallow this somehow. How about being able to replicate in some kind of grose form of people so we can watch really yukky scenes that don't make any perticular sense or aren't something you want or need to see at any point in your life.

Disgusting movie, showing a fight for survival of some scientists that came to the pole to experience some live scientific things, instead they get caught in a trap and killed. Bla Bla Bla. We have seen it all. The only difference is, that the woman, serving as a paleontologist or something combined with biological/surgeon scientific treasure, is very persistent and doesn't get killed in the first scene. Apart from that, not a movie worth your attention or time. The music sucks, the scenes are unimaginative, the plot is stupid and the actors are very average or even below that level .. The least I say about this, the better. Don't watch it. A definite waste of time. I am more than unhappy having chosen this piece for my christmas evening.



My personal rate: 0 (bljak. No extra comment needed).


Thing on IMDB

What's your number, 2011

What's your number, 2011
Director: Mark Mylod
Cast: Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Ari Graynor



Stage: Home theatre


What's your number in short: Ally is a woman who has many ex-boyfriends who turned out to be losers. Now she believes that she can't find a good guy. But when she runs into one of her exes who is now a 'Prince Charming', she decides to look up all of her exes to see if any of them have changed for the better. And when she has trouble locating them, she asks her neighbor Colin, who sleeps with women every night and sneaks out the morning after to avoid talking to them, to help her.


Preps: Well, another one bites the dust. Stuck in my library, aiming for my attention.


Reality: A huge dissappointment. It's a classic bimbo movie, with a cute blonde, cute eyelashes and this is it. You cannot base your movie upon a cute blonde, hello world! Her tracking of the ex sexual relationships in aim to make it under number 20 just because she saw it in the horoscope that it means she would be perceived a tramp.. well it doesn't ring any specific bells and it doesn't drag my attention. Unfortunately I stay put and watch it a very very long run. It's unimaginative, the dialogues are awful. We are sick of movies that underestimate the audience's intelligence. This is definitely one of them. A bunch of useless talks, subjects that are merely a mirror image of a horoscope of the day. Blyah. You cannot be serious about the plot. It's juvenile and not worthy of the big screen. And the cast is awful, scenes are really stupid and hard to watch. My movie heart sheds a tear as I dislike it up to such extent.

No use. I erase the damn thing. What's my number? Zero, for sure.



My personal rate: 0,0 (eh. Use your time better. This is nothing you can learn from or even have fun. I hated it and found it stupid).


What's your number on IMDB

The Sunset Limited, 2011

The Sunset Limited, 2011
Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Cast: Samuel L Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones


Stage: Home Theatre

The Sunset Limited in short: Two men in an apartment with their opposing beliefs.



Preps: Another one dusty in my closet, waiting for my attention



Reality: For a fact, it is really hard to keep the attention of the viewer if you are locked on one static place and you need to keep the main cast there. We have seen it in The Phone booth, a pure example of what efforts it takes to make this kind of movie work.
Now, this piece has been designed only for TV's. I wonder why. Shy to get on the big screen? TV span of attention of viewers is even lower. We can use every escape possible to get to the fridge. So I guess in my logic it is even harder to make me watch.
But I confess. I have watched it from the beginning to the very last second. The dialogues are extremely good. The words spoken are on a higher level than average. You need to really understand english to be able to really follow. And you can even learn as you go along. How many movies do you know that do that? I know only a few. This is definitely one of them.
I admit, I didn't have a f. idea what the movie was about in the first 15 minutes. I was thinking that maybe the movie isn't trying to reach me or something. Or I wasn't trying hard enough. No, the truth is the opposite. You learn as you go along the movie. The obvious, the saving of a guy, trying to kill himself, becomes something far distant in the past. The only thing you need to know is - have you ever thought about your virtues, your beliefs, your arguments for it? Well.. if you have or haven't, you are in for a treat. As if I would be watching our elections and two complete opposites were trying to pursuade me about their beliefs.

You will think about way you look at the world for your own soul. What is it that you are trying to seek and what is it that you want to be left behind you. Does hell exist, does heaven? Who would you like to meet after you go and is it true that you would really want to meet someone, once you think about it?

Lots of good questions. Lots of philosophy. This movie doesn't have anything more, but the script is powerful and it doesn't need anything else. The two main protagonists act as if their lives would depend on it. I love it, the piece, the energy, the actors. I need to watch it again. Definitely!


My personal rate: 7,0 (truly extreme beliefs and beautiful dialogues, filled with right arguments and right placements of high rank words)


The Sunset on IMDB