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This is the place where we'll more or less discuss about movies.
| Title | Critic |
|---|---|
| 12 Angry Men | Intense courtroom drama which has 12 very different people, all males, struggling with a murder case involving a young Puerto Rican boy that seems cut-and-dried. However, juror Henry Fonda does not believe it to be as sure-fire as it appears. He votes not guilty and what follows is a chain of events that will test the views, beliefs and thoughts of the other 11 members. Fonda is great, but Lee J. Cobb steals every scene (and that is not easy to do in a film like this). Ed Begley, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman, Joseph Sweeney, E.G. Marshall and John Fiedler are among the other individuals caught in a situation that is much more difficult than it appears on the surface. An excellent character-study that should be studied and embraced by all present and future film-makers. |
| Airplane! | War pilot Ted Striker boards a flight for the first time since the war in order to stop his relationship with stewardess Elaine breaking up. Unfortunately the fish meal on the flight is bad and causes the crew to go sick leaving the plane on automatic pilot. With Striker the only man on board who can land the plane can he overcome his fears of failure stemming from the war? This without a doubt one of the best comedies of cinema, it is far and away the best spoof ever made - and it was made when this type of humour was still fresh. From the opening moments right down to the closing credits this is hilarious. The plot is a straight spoof of 1970's Airport disaster movies, and is only an excuse for a range of jokes. However the plot is bang on - it's detailed enough that it could be a serious disaster movie and allows the film to poke fun directly at the disasters movies themselves. The cast are perfect. For Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty this represents the best things they've ever done. Both play the straight men for the majority and are relied upon to take it all seriously and drive the plot while jokes occur all round them, that said they deliver many themselves but always straight faced. Nielsen and Bridges are also spot on as stereotypical doctor and traffic control guy who "chose the wrong day to give up drinking"! They are both so straight faced that they make the whole thing seem even more silly. Robert Stack is excellent as the man brought in to talk the plane down, playing the butch masculine figure ignoring all the madness around him. Also on the ground, Stephen Stucker is great as the camp controller who delivers many brilliant one liners as he walks through scenes. Peter Graves and Kareen Abdul Jabbar are great as two of the pilots that almost are in a different movie the things they say! The film is a spot on spoof of disaster movies, making fun of the many clichés of the genre - the nuns on board, the sick child, the "only man who can land the plane", the poisoned food etc. But it does more than just poke fun at these - it is hilarious in it's own right. All the cast deliver their lines brilliantly and the script! The script is excellent - I'm not going to start listing lines but they come so thick and fast that you usually miss something because you're laughing at the last joke.This is the mould for all spoofs - this is the one to beat. While many spoofs are hit and miss this is almost a total hit. Decades on and many viewings later this is still as fresh and as funny as it ever was. A brilliant, brilliant comedy! |
| Symathy For Mr. Venegeance | The heir apparent to Sam Peckinpah is tucked away far from Hollywood. Chan-wook Park, I'm sure few people know of him outside of Korea but talent like this can not go unoticed for long. I knew nothing of this film or Mr. Park before seeing it at the Seattle International Film Festival. Human (political?) isolation permeates the film, connectiveness to others whether familial or conjugal comes with a steep price to pay. Vengence to reclaim honor is a staple in Asian cinema, Mr. Park's "Revenge" completely sidesteps the tired honor formula making us question what happens when normal folk take revenge into the realm of pyschotic? This is the type of film that you and your friends will passionately discuss over STRONG drinks afterwords, there is no nuetrality in opinions, like Solondz's "Hapiness" you love it or hate it. As the film ended, a packed house gave a tepid applause, not because of a lack of enthusiasm, a collective numbness left a pall over the audience, a raping of all the senses. Like Cronenberg's "Crash" and Tarkovsky's "Stalker", one becomes defeated by a hypnotic sense of forboding, you are forced to endure it, pummeled into submission. The violence is very graphic, but as much as Mr. Park show's, it's what he doesn't show that makes him so talented, the subtle use of sound to advance the film is outright brilliance. Like Takeshi Kitano's early films, the extreme violence is never gratuitous yet the like offbeat humor, very unsettling. "Sympathy For Mr. Vengence" is not 'dark' it is uncompromisingly bleak, ah but bleakness never looked so good! |
| Broken Flowers | Don Johnston, that's "with a T," has been left by his latest girlfriend and has also received an anonymous letter from what can only be a former flame. It states that he has a 19 year-old son who is looking for him. With the persuasion of an odd, but well meaning neighbor, he sets out to figure things out in his slow and uneventful life. With a large focus on sensationalism these days, even in dramas, even in good dramas, like History of Violence and Crash, there is always usually that element of the extraordinary. Huge life changing experiences that not only change the protagonist, but everyone around them. Inner racial tensions shoot out like a shell out of a cannon or a violent past hits a character like a freight train. But here, Jim Jarmusch gives us... nothing. A boring man who could care less about anything. Who just drives and dully interacts with his former girlfriends. Barely showing any sort of exterior emotions to even some truly unexpected surprises. Like Murray in the lead, Jarmusch chucks in a lot of subtleties here and there. And like Murray in the lead, these subtle hints of what is really going on hardly lead anywhere unless the viewer decides they do. It also works out as anything but a turn off or anticlimax (holycrap, did I just say that?), but rather gets you to think back to what you saw. And it REALLY points out the impact of relative perception to events past with those complex creatures known as humans. |
| Children Of Men | Worthy addition to a very British literary, televisual and cinematic tradition of dystopian and apocalyptic narratives. H.G Wells, John Wyndham, SURVIVORS, 28 DAYS LATER.These texts are revealing of the times in which they were made. Rather than looking forwards,they re often, at heart, deeply conservative. They frequently express a desire for a world where the centralised, industrial society has broken down entirely, replaced by an agrarian based model comprising small, rural communities. These narratives coincided with the rise in 'alternative ' lifestyles, interest in self sufficiency, organic farming, low technology and a different relationship with the Earth. Nostalgia for a pre Industrial past is more prominent than hope and anticipation of a glorious new future when civilisations been destroyed for a new, better world to emerge.The grand narratives which we once imagined were going to change and improve the world no longer seem credible. Following the collapse of communism, there's a distrust of ideologies, especially those of the left. Arguably, the left has collapsed in the Western World. Thats the context this film arrives in, one where there seems no meaningfully effective counterbalance to the continued dominance of global capitalism, media saturation and environmental meltdown.Arguably this film offers some hope but my overall impression is of something a lot bleaker than other apocalypse narratives. Without children there is, literally, no future left. Although emerging from a different context, this film shares with its predecessors a thoroughly revealing indication of the concerns preoccupying the time in which it was made.Two scenes haunted me. The man in Battersea, isolated with his art collection and the set pieces of the illegal immigrants, rounded up and caged.The Battersea scene uses its location and choice of Picasso's Gernika painting in the background to make a searing comment on a civilisation which, despite its pretensions to Art and Culture, has managed to engineer its own extinction. A civilisation whose intellectual and cultural elites, instead of challenging the prevailing discourse, isolate themselves, collusive in a form of collective denial.The illegals scene is composed in such a way as to recreate images from the War on Terror, images which are now iconic. Both scenes link together through use of the painting which is an inspired device. This is definitely a movie to watch and work at. I was also intrigued by the recurring animals, and reminded of Tarkovsky, whose work is consistently loaded with symbolism. The scene at the empty, abandoned school was very reminiscent of the Russian director. Also praiseworthy is the astonishing use of sound, particularly in one of the key scenes when dogs can be heard barking in the distance.Another haunting image is that of the flowers and wreaths laid very early on, after the youngest person on earth has died. Reminiscent of the mawkishness, sentimentality and mass hysteria of those laying floral tributes to murder victims they never knew, the so called 'Diana effect'. Again, a clear reference to todays world.This is an outstanding piece of film making, I agree totally with previous reviewers comments, especially regarding the battle scenes, which have an immediacy, bringing to mind COME AND SEE or APOCALYPSE NOW. I ll give the last word to Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian newspapers film critic who called this a thinking persons action movie. |
| Symathy for Lady Venegeance | The final instalment of Park's Revenge Trilogy concluded well. In fact, I personally feel that it is the best out of the three film, excellent cinematography and beautiful classic music that blended perfectly well into the story. Lee Youngae gives fantastic performance in her role, a complete impression from her previous kind-hearted and sweet looking role in "Jewel in the Palace". Cold and filled with vengeance , yet she exudes fine elegance with her subtle body language and facial expression. The soundtrack works well at suitable moments, infusing classic into this art-house film. It was a pity the film didn't win any grand awards in the Venice Film Festival, Park definitely deserves recognition for his excellent works. |
| A Clockwork Orange | t's funny, after you watch a film many times you begin to fall in love with it. This is true with a lot of films but for Clockwork Orange, I only had to watch it 2 subsequent times to fall in love with it. There are so many elements of this film that bring it together and make you totally enjoy the story. The music in the film is one such example, at times it's beautiful and at times dark and disturbing, setting the right tone for the scene. Technically this is a sci-fi film because it does take place in the future and there is the plot which involves brainwashing. When many people think of Stanley Kubrick, they think of 2001 and this film. It's because this film stands out as possibly the scariest image of the near future. |
| Donnie Darko | There are very few movies that hit at such a level 'Donnie Darko' does. It weaves in everything about a movie you've come to love; and it has something different to offer everyone.'Donnie Darko' tells the story of a young Middlesex guy, Donnie Darko. He's a fairly troubled teenager, who awakes one night to confront the shocking news that the world will end in 28 days time. Over the course of these 28 days we watch as Donnie turns everyone's lives upside down, and witness things only possible in your darkest dreams.Jake Gyllenhaal (The Day After Tomorrow, October Sky) plays a brilliant troubled teenager. Giving us the best performance of his career. Mary McDonnell (Independence Day) plays Donnie's mother with the same dedication and brilliance any mother would.If you haven't yet seen 'Donnie Darko', place it at the top of your to see list! If you've seen it, place it at the top of your to buy list! Easily one of the top ten movies of all time. |
| Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb | Who else than Stanley Kubrick could take a serious subject like the cold war and tell the story like a comedy ??? He proves his genius in this film more like in any other film of his. It's the story about one general ( with the very appropriate name Jack D. Ripper) gone mad and he launches an attack on Russia all by himself. He's mad, but still smart enough to prevent that anyone can stop him. He's got this strange ( but very funny ) theories about body-fluids, but his men respect him and do everything he says. So 34 fully-armed plains are sent to as many targets. Meanwhile his Colonel, Mandrake, tries to talk sense to him and the president and another General are trying to warn the Russian prime minister. You can have nothing but great respect for Peter Sellers. He plays three roles in this film and every single one of them is flawless. The doctor Strangelove character is hilarious and creepy at the same time. His appearances as the doctor are, along with the telephone conversations between the president and the Russian Prime minister the funniest moments in the film... Also the classic bomb-ride of Major Kong off course. George C. Scott is clearly having fun in his role and the debut of James Earl Jones is also definitely worth mentioning. Like I said already...a must see film if you're a film lover in general. |
| Taxi Driver | Martin Scorsese and Robert De Nero deliver another hard-hitting, gritty urban classic from their long-time partnership as director and star. De Niro plays a Vietnam veteran who works as a taxi driver, who becomes obsessed with cleaning up the politics and crime in his city. He becomes more and more paranoid and insane as the film goes on. The other stars of the movie all give excellent, realistic performances as the people he comes into contact with in the city. This is a disturbing and terrifying film, but it should definitely be seen as one of the all-time classics. You should also check out Scorsese's other work such as "Raging Bull", and "Goodfellas". |
| The Elephant Man | This is a brilliantly done film. it is quite raw and blunt about its subject matter, however, so it should not be viewed for "entertainment" purposes, thought he story is inherently intriguing. We must just sit and watch in curiousity and amazement, but in concurrence with extreme sorrow, as we are shown the brutality that john merrick must face as his reality. A smile from another human being, or even a pleasant greeting (which is something that we all take for granted), is treated by this man as the highest form of complimentary behavior possible. One of the best films that i have ever seen. it wouldnt be called a top 25 of all-time film by the public (though i may place it there), however, based solely on the fact that it, as i mentioned earlier, is lacking in terms of typical "entertainment" value. even though you will certainly be immersed the entire way through. Ah, who knows! Im not expressing myself very well. make it a priority to see this film. |
| Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas | Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a psychedelic comedy, but also an astute piece of literature-cum-political science on a period in American history that was just really strange, thus reflected by its creator. It was the pioneer in 'Gonzo journalism' and sent Thompson's star even higher than it had with Hell's Angels. Although it's one of my personal favorite books, it could have been tricky to adapt it- Alex Cox tried and failed- but somehow Terry Gilliam digs into the Thompson psychology, dementia, and off-the-wall humor, while also putting his unmistakable mark on the material. Two sensibilities thus merge, alongside the tremendous performances (underrated, despite the praise from fans) from Depp and Del-Toro. It asks an essential question- how does society end up crossing paths with the outlaws? But there's more than that- much more in fact- but it takes more than one viewing. I remember writing the first time I saw it: "This film is so bizarre you might just want to put down the bong and get high from this movie (after all, the movie contains every single known drug known to man since 1544)."Granted, it's immediate appeal is that of a midnight movie, the ultimate midnight movie, as a work where the visual style is cranked up to a queue that goes even further than past Gilliam ventures. Distorted, sometimes tilted, widescreen angles, very bright, strange colors via Nicola Pecorini, and a beating soundtrack loaded with everything from Jefferson Airplane to Tom Jones to Bob Dylan to Debbie Reynolds (what kind of rat bastard psychotic would put that on right now, at this moment)! And aside from Depp and Del-Toro, who immerse themselves to the hilt (Depp especially is in a form here comparable to his Pirates movies- you can't see anyone else play the character, and at the same time you almost can't recognize him, a credit to Depp's 'method' style), there's hilarious supporting work from Craig Bierko, Tobey Maguire, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton (Castration!), and Christina Ricci, and even an extremely moving and dangerous scene with Ellen Barkin.It's not an easy film, to be certain, and it will likely appeal to those who may think 'ah, drugs, I like drugs, must be my kind of movie'. But it's not that simple; it's actually fairly critical of drug use, in an overblown, Fellini-esquire satirical manner (eg Adrenochrome, which is a tiny landmark of gonzo film-making to complement the author), and there really is no point where Gilliam, Thompson or the characters say 'take drugs'. On the other hand, there is also a critical attitude, a refreshing and brilliant one, on authority, like at the DEA convention at the hotel- again, strange times in society. At the same time the film is superb as escapist fun, in the darkest and craziest ways that only a maverick like Gilliam and his people can pull off, it's also got some layers in the substance, of Duke and Gonzo almost as relics from a former era already in 1971. With consistently quotable dialog, excruciating moments of depravity, and some of the most outrageous production design in any film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is an unlikely cult classic, and in its own delirious fashion a possible definitive work from the director alongside Brazil. |
| Ikiru | A quiet, but very moving film. Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is a clerk who has been living a dull, unsatisfying life working in the government's offices who is diagnosed with cancer and is given one year to live. He tries to enjoy his days by picking up a former co-worker (Miki Odagiri) and taking her out on the town. She finally convinces him that this is not the way to spend the rest of his life. He soon realizes that he has a strong desire to do something with his life so that it will not have been a total waste. Therefore he begins to work in cooperation with the people... accomplishing something that nobody in the office had the nerve to do before.I consider Ikiru to be Kurosawa's first truly excellent film. The story moves along very low-key and we gradually realize the power and emotion that is in this great film. Roger Ebert said of Ikiru that it is one of the few films that can actually change the way you look at life after watching it. |
| Irréversible | Cinema is a multifaceted medium, with its limits extending in various dimensions…What I felt after watching Irreversible is, this movie is staged at the edge of one of the possible dimensions. I don't think another movie can be crueler. I was warned enough by the information I got from IMDb and I was determined to finish it what ever comes. The spinning camera work and the intentionally added noise made me literally sick, (may be because I am sensitive) but I persisted to continue. I read so many threads here in IMDb saying many people turned on watching the rape. To me, it seemed unattractively cruel, and I don't know whether it is close to reality as I have never witnessed or experienced a rape. But my conscience tells me, it is the worst thing a man can do. What more, I could not continue without a break. The entire story is told backwards, and if you see it from the end, in the reverse order, the murder at the Rectum is a real slap on the face, for who all turned on watching the rape.I haven't seen another movie by Casper Noe, but this one was very powerful indeed. This will make you hate the heinous crime like a rape or a murder, even more intensely as you do now. I remember seeing a movie by Hitchcock, The torn Curtain, in which he shot a murder scene, to show how difficult it is and how cruel you need to be to murder another human being. Irreversible evokes a same feeling; it tells you how cruel you need to be, to be so.I appreciate the intention. But, I don't agree, presenting all the graphic details as the only way to evoke a similar emotion or feeling. I will mention another movie here, Bhoothakkannadi (eye lens), a movie made in Malayalam, my mother tongue. It was so powerful and it evoked a similar feeling in me, against humiliation and crimes like rape without delineating all those cruelty in detail. Irreversible, in a sense, diminish your soul rather than ameliorating it, what an art form is really meant to do. It even made me to hate the entire medium of cinema for a few days, and I recovered because I have an immutable faith in the potential of cinema. This is not a film to enjoy. You may not like this. I don't like this movie. But still I say it is powerful, as it says something very clearly. |
| A Tale Of Two Sisters | Two sisters, Su-mi (IM Soo-jung) and Su-yeon (MOON Geun-young) return home with their father (Kim Gap-soo). Eun-joo (YEOM Jeong-ah) welcomes them but Su-mi's manner is bitter to her. Su-mi hates Eun-joo because the father let her act like the house wife after the sisters' mother died. Seeing her attitude, Eun-joo is getting to treat the sisters coldly and there grows a tense atmosphere among them.As if called in by the atmosphere, series of mysterious things occur in the house. When Su-mi is hanging her dress in her wardrobe, there have been already hung a lot of dresses of the same design. When she put her diary into a drawer, she finds another diary of the same kind there. When she is sleeping in her bed with scared Su-yeon, a nightmare awakes her and she finds a woman standing on her -- and a hand dangles out of the woman's skirt!Mysterious things occur to the other people, too. On the evening of next weekend, Eun-joo's brother and his wife visit the family and they have a dinner together. Eun-joo cheerfully talks about a crazy man she met when she was a child, but nobody is interested in her talk. She says the crazy man annoyed the brother, but he says he doesn't know anything about the man.Listening to their talk, the brother's wife has a panic. After the dinner, the conflict between Eun-joo and the sisters becomes at its worst. Eun-joo pulls Su-yeon into a wardrobe and locks her in it. Su-mi saves the crying-out sister and complains to their father what Eun-joo has done to his daughter. But his response is unexpected. "Give me a break." says he angrily, "Su-mi, please. Don't make me tired any more."And the following words out of the father's mouth are more shocking than what they have seen in the house.To tell the truth, I hate horror movies. Although I seated myself at a theater because my intuition told me the movie was something different, I was regretting what my curiosity had made me act when it started showing. The regret, however, had changed into joy for expectation ten minutes later.This film is a tragic mystery more than a horror -- painful more than horrible; beautiful more than sensational. That may have a hard core horror fan disappointed, but for a mystery fan like me, this film is a must see. |
| The Libertine | Familiar with the play & was curious to see the adaptation . Jeffreys expands his work effectively but several very direct elements will need edited of the more licentious behaviors of the period. Writing is witty and pungent and accurate in its representation of the period. Dunnsmore's direction is firm and the dark & smokey grey brown tones he uses work well for the film. Performance wise- Depp gives a Oscar worthy performance incredible in its range & depth. Malkovitch also holds the screen as King Charles , The actor's personal Maturity showing as both the heaviness of power & the indulgence of the character. Needs editing by about 20 mins ( it IS a work in progress) but other than that & some cleaning up technically of the sound in places ( esp the beginning) The work stands up excellently! Would recommend! |
| Mulholland Dr. | We all love to have our minds toyed with but sitting through a David Lynch film is like having your brain removed entirely. This film is no different as it proves that Lynch (Next to Bunuel) is a master surealist film maker.The film sees a young girl known only as Rita trying to remember who she is. The whole "girl with amnesia" plot make a lot of sense until about 3/5 of the way through the film when something that can only be described as a Lynchian Pandora's Box is opened. We are then tormented with a demonic homeless man, a mysterious Spanish play house and shrunken people before it all finishes in very dramatic, surreal David Lynch fashion.This film is perfect. There is no other way to describe such a great piece of work. It is flawless because it is helmed by a man that knows everything about his craft and is not afraid to show it off. This sort of film has been sorely missed since his last outing, Lost Highway, in 1996. It's good to see Lynch at his old game and lets just hope in future that he produces more gems just like this. |
| 1984 | Despite what one reviewer states here, 1984 is an extremely important literary work. It explains to the reader what the ultimate facist state would be like. This story is never more important than now, with the world in crisis. It is an absolute must that people read or see 1984. Other films have been made about fascism. One of the most notable examples being Pier Pasolini's Salo. But the problem is hardly anyone is going to see that except for weirdo's or film buffs. This is because of the graphic nature of the film. Besides, Salo was explaining the inherently depraved, decadent nature of fascism. Orwell's 1984 explains the mechanisms that invoke totalitarianism.John Hurt is excellent as the main character. I am quite a fan. The film is also very well made. The bleakness of the book is perfectly captured by the director. You feel sympathy for the characters even though they seem far away because they appear so weary, yet willing to hope. Transcendence is hinted at when there is a scene where Hurt looks out and sees a wilderness instead of a prison. Hurt's character, Winston looks like he is about half dead! You really hope that Winston and Julia can pull off a passionate love affair. Although you know that it is doomed and is more of an act of rebellion against big brother than anything else. The setting is a land that is half destroyed because of the constant wars. The wars being yet another method of control. They tell us in psychology that in war, depression and other similar disorders actually go down! Interesting eh? The start where everyone sits watching the screens and begins to scream at images of the enemy. This is a great moment in the film that shows a kind of utter conformity through extreme social norms. The most effective form of brainwashing.The problem with the film, like the book, is that people will find it too bleak and horrific to really appreciate it. It is depressing but this is the horror of totalitarianism. The material is not intended to be a walk in the park. One of the most striking and horrific instances of 1984 is the 2+2 does not equal 4 scene. The torture and brainwashing too achieve utter obedience. Richard 'my voice competes with Orson Welles' Burton, who normally pontificates and chews up the scenery is remarkably restrained here. This restraint is the key to a very good performance. These torture scenes are horrific and Hurt really shines. This guy should have got an Oscar! The scenes had me gasping...When I originally read the book it took a while for me to get over the rats. EWWWWWWW!Looking at the overall rating of 1984 I am just totally surprised that this film has such a low rating. Maybe people would rate the novel exactly the same way because of the material. This brings me too my other quibble. The film does not TOTALLY cover all of the novels themes. In fact, although Suzanna Hamilton puts on a good performance, her character is not completely captured. Viewers must remember that literature and cinema are two completely different mediums. There is no such thing as a 100 percent adaption. Therefore you must rate the film on the usual cinematic features. But the main thing is how well the overall message of the story was transmitted. This film powerfully demonstrates Orwell's message!What is weird is one of the reviewers here states that they did not like the nudity. Well, I'm guessing the director was going for a Adam and Eve state with their being naked out in the woods. This is obviously the complete opposite of the unnatural state they have to live in. It does not cheapen the film and points more to the reviewers own repressed desires. Reaction formation perhaps? Besides no one is going to get this for naked bodies when porn is so freely available from your local video store!Consider how relevant this story is. How propaganda and public relations has never been more prevalent. How public relations has overtaken journalism, causing journalism to become more and more watered down. How the political economy of the media is now being hugely influenced by being based in a monopoly economy. A few now control the flow of information for the general population in western nations. This is not conspiracy theory, this is fact. True investigative journalism is at an all time low and the media itself is in a shocking state of affairs. Like everything in our capitalist system, it is controlled by money. Ever read Michel Foucault? Dominant hegemonies, discourse analysis, bla bla bla. I don't want to get all crusty and academic here. But Rupert Murdoch is rubbing his hands together. Time and time again, the United States has been shown to be patently false about why they engaged in conflict with Iraq. Just read John Pilger! Yet many Americans supported the conflict. Even believing chemical weapons were used on American troops, when no such event took place! Why? Because they were manipulated by a sophisticated propaganda machine.Knowledge is power. That is why in 1984 language is being systematically destroyed. This denial of language is the denial of thought itself. Reality is then more easily shaped by the oppressor. Remember dictators, such as Pol Pot destroy the educated first. This is why the film and book are so important, they are still very RELEVANT! In fact I think the progression of western society will become a mixture of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and 1984. Either way we are being manipulated and controlled and these books show you how. America has the 'Patriot Act' that was rushed through congress although human rights groups had many serious doubts about the act. In New Zealand we have a Government that is similary becoming too involved in the regulation of peoples lives. BIG BROTHER IS STILL ALIVE!I give this film a 10 and think the last scene with Hurt looking so haunted in the bar/coffee place was awesome! GREAT, GREAT BOOK! GREAT, GREAT FILM! |
| Oldboy | I haven't written a comment on IMDb for about 3 years but was inspired to with this film. It is not very often that I come across a film by accident (World Movies on cable) and the spend the next day scouring the internet to find out information about it and can't get it out of my head! Anyway, yep there are plot holes, but Old boy borrows a lot from surrealism and you are meant to suspend your disbelief! I don't buy comments when people say "it is so unrealistic because he should've done this ..." because it is a surrealist film and meant to be unrealistic! For me the sign of a good film is if it sticks on your head! THis one surely does (althought I did have to look away a few times ... ) Loved it!!!! Work of cruel genius!!! |
| Evil | Set in a Swedish boarding school, Erik was expelled from his last school for fighting, but now history is now repeating. Erik believes in personal freedom, not liking being told how to live, so when the sixth form student council sets to bring Erik into line, being a smart ass and constantly disobeying; bloody fights ensue.Erik's rebellion though stems from his family. His father is dead and his mother is seeking new love. Her new boyfriend is an oppressive and abusive aristocrat, dealing out whippings to Erik over minor matters.The Student council deal out their usual hazing to the freshmen, but Erik is the first one to ever stand up for himself and break tradition. In this school the law is not dealt by the teachers, its the student council who hand out punishments, the teachers scream ignorance to this, never taking care nor notice. The punishments range from the simple to the very dangerous.Evil is a great look on friendship, freedom, punishment and a view on totalitarianism. Its 'The Experiment' set within 'Dead Poets Society' with abit of 'sleepers' for good measure. You start to wonder why people are given powers that can deal out such brutal punishments that can be such life threatening.At times this film can be very dark, yet it does have trouble holding onto this. During the scenes of brutality, its quite confronting, but most of the time its very lite and does have a hard time keeping your attention; if it had let the violence poke it head out more often it would have been a lot more disturbing and a lot more powerful. The fights here are quite bloody and brutal, director Mikael Hafström wasn't afraid to throw some blood around the walls. |
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