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Reviews
Tatie Danielle (1990)
Great Fun!
Tatie Danielle (Aunt Danielle) played in the film of the same name by Tsilla Chelton is not a nice person. An equal hater of men and women, Danielle dispenses her brand of venom without prejudice. She especially enjoys tormenting dogs and small children.
The more her family tries to show her love, the more wicked she becomes. What is hilarious is the glee she takes in upsetting the lives and plans of her family and her outright defiance of social conventions.
I would say more but I don't want to spoil the enjoyment of the film.
With "Tatie Danielle" I say buy it. You will watch it again and again. Guaranteed!
Nanjing! Nanjing! (2009)
A Story of Depravity and Courage
As Lois McMaster Bujold said, "There are always survivors at a massacre. Among the victors, if nowhere else." That there may be disputes as to the actual number of causalities does not diminish from the fact, as reflected in the film, that the citizen of Nanking, China, were horribly brutalized during the fall of 1937 and that the memories of those events are seared into the collective consciousness of the Chinese people forever.
Much has been made in the retelling of the story of Nanking about what the German John Rabe did to help save some of the people. While that is an integral part of the story, I think what is even more telling in the film are the heroic sacrifices (some ultimate, some not) that the citizens of the city made for each other in an attempt to save the women of the city from rape and to keep families, friends, and loved ones together.
While this is not an easy film to watch, it certainly reflects much of the true nature of war.
I bought the film. I would advise either seeing it in the theater or renting it, since is one that you will only watch now and again due to its strong nature.
Otôto (2010)
It Doesn't Quite Work
I love Yoji Yamamda's films. His films seem to go directly to the heart of the human condition. I think I own almost all of them, so when "About Her Brother" was released, I immediately bought a copy sight unseen. I'm a little sorry I did so. "About Her Brother" is not an example of his usual fare. It seems more like Yoji Yamada took half a script from a Tora-san movie and grafted it onto the script for one of his standard serious dramas. The first half of the film follows, mostly, the comings and goings of a goofy Tora-san-like brother who goes beyond just measure in trying to draw laughs. It really is painful to watch the over acting. The second half of the film is more focused on the family members who suffer misery on the brother's account. Rather than rush out and buy a copy, I would advise movie fans to see it in the theater or rent the DVD first, and then make a decision on whether to buy it or not.
Une simple histoire (1959)
A Neorealism Classic!
I recently scored a copy of this movie based entirely upon the 1970 review by Roger Greenspun of the New York Times, and I must say that I am very happy to have done so. Although filmed in 1959, this film has the look and feel of something filmed much earlier. I would compare its video quality to an unrestored copy of "Rome, Open City" (Roberto Rossellini), which was filmed during the war years. The plot centers on the troubles and travails of a mother and daughter recently relocated to Paris and at the end of their financial rope. The performance by Micheline Bezancon as the mother is absolutely believable. If you get a chance to see this film, do so. You won't be disappointed, and its running time of 68 minutes goes all too quickly.
Kak ya provyol etim letom (2010)
The cinematography is great, but the storyline stinks!
When deciding whether or not to purchase or even see a film, I do a IMDb search to see how the top 1000 reviewers rated it. Usually, you can figure that if the film was rated 7.0 or higher by the top 1000, then it is worth both seeing and buying, so I bought this one sight unseen. This was a big mistake. While the cinematography is stunning. The storyline is all over the place, and the plot details fail to follow common sense and fall apart completely. It's got more holes than a slice of Swiss cheese. The acting job by Sergei Puskepalis is consistent and believable, but the acting job by Grigory Dobrygin just doesn't hold water. It's all over the place. If you going to see the movie for the cinematography, great; but don't expect to get any grins over the plot. It's just not there. On a scale of 10, I would have to rate it a 4. It the plot didn't get in the way so much, I would be tempted to rate it higher. My recommendation is to see this film only if you have seen every other film you want to see first. I can only figure that it got rated 7.3 by the top 1000 because someone wanted to ramp it up to improve viewership.
State of Play (2009)
Not Worth The Plastic It's Recorded On
Sometimes a movie tries to do too much and its screenwriters try to make the movie appeal to too wide an audience. This is one of those films. The plot is complicated beyond belief and stretches credulity to the breaking point shortly into the film. The behavior of the characters is predictable. The screenwriters of this film would have done well to first have watched "All The President's Men" before submitting this screenplay. Sometimes less is more. All the acting in the film is second rate. The one (and bright) exception is Rachel McAdams, who plays the feisty cub reporter Della Frye. She is a bright light and one to watch for future performances.
5 Fingers (1952)
Espionage Classic!
This World War II espionage classic has all the right elements in just the right mix: a) menacing Nazis; b) spies; c) double dealing; d) heroic characters; e) the old guard; f) noble values, g) a cliff-hanging ending; h) and just enough threatened violence to keep your palms sweaty and glued to your seat. An added plus is the exotic setting of the movie (in Turkey). It is my understanding that the director wanted to keep the movie as realistic as possible, so he filmed in locations where the action actually took place. A tag at the beginning of the film states that it is a real story. Suave James Mason is a joy to watch paired against straight-laced Michael Rennie. Don't miss this one!
Body and Soul (1947)
Let's Beat Each Other's Brains Out
Why anyone would pay good money to watch a boxing movie is beyond me. Why anyone would pay money to watch any sports movie is also beyond me. Sports movies, especially boxing movies, have very little to say beyond, "Look how much punishment I can take and look how big a dope I am for even stepping in the ring!" "Body and Soul" has all the common clichés that one would expect from a rope-a-dope film: 1) the boxer with a low I.Q; 2) the disapproving mother; 3) the smart girlfriend that likes the boxer for God-knows-whatever reasons; 4) the crooked boxing promoter; 5) the death of a fighter that should know better; 6) athletes knowingly submitting to a crooked system; 7) managers manipulating fighters for their own benefit. This movie tries to tackle too much territory. If you watch it, prepare for you brain to take a "slugging" and come away from it punch drunk.
Brian's Song (1971)
Don't Waste Your Time
This low-budget, made-for-television film from the early 70's reminds me again (painfully) why I don't "do" sports movies very often. The characters are little more than clichés in a script that is so loaded with clichés that it is amazing it doesn't sink under its own weight into the oblivion of never-never land. The screenplay by William Blinn is loaded with schmaltzy, corny scenes that are little more than feeble attempts to draw cheap tears from the audience. This type of film might appeal to jocks whose hat size is larger than their IQ, but the thinking person will avoid this movie like the plague and won't wont dare to let it contaminate their DVD. A better bet is the sports movie "Rudy."
American Masters: No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)
Directionless Dylan
Bob Dylan was a musician of my own time. I always thought him to be a leader of the protest movement. This documentary sets that wrong notion right. Dylan, while a innovate musician, comes across as a anti-social slob who can't seem to give a civilized answer to any question put to him by the press at any time. While I realize that the press can be very trying at times, it is they who help an artist to be better understood by fans. Bob Dylan would have none of it. He presents himself as a stark, self-aggrandizing, egocentric artist who, after being championed early on by Joan Baez, refused to reciprocate the favor and invite her to sing with him on stage, as she had so nobly done for him. Dylan's music is moving, but I found Joan Baez's music to be much more so. See this documentary only if you want to see Dylan as a bad behavior boy.
Bakhasatang (1999)
Highly Overrated
I was quite surprised to see that the top 1000 reviewers on IMDb gave this film an overall rating of 6.8. They must have had double vision that day! Generally I won't touch a film unless the top 1000 viewers have given a film at least 7.2, with a more safe standard being 7.4 or 7.5. This film suffers from a over abundance of overacting, actually shooting into the rarefied heights of terminal melodrama and hysterical histrionics. Actors act silly for silly's sake. Little action in the film seems to be tied to any type of objective understanding of the characters or their motivations. The backward sequencing of the film is merely a vain attempt to make a very dull movie interesting, and this cheap trick fails miserably. Avoid this failed import like the plague.
Spoorloos (1988)
One of the Best "Horror" Movies out There
I normally don't do horror movies, especially American horror movies, considering them to be, on the whole, bubble gum trite for those with low IQ's and even lower artistic taste. "Vanishing", however is a movie for the ages. Instead of relying on gore and special effects to try to outwit a dimwitted adolescent audience, it uses the old verities, such as plot, pacing, and genuine emotional involvement of its characters to rivet its audience to the screen, which is exactly what its director, George Sluizer, does with seemingly little effort. But don't be fooled, in Sluizer's hands this medium is an art form and he overwhelms his audience by the end of the movie. Don't miss this one. It will not give you sleepless nights, it will give you sleepless years!
Babí léto (2001)
Avoid, Avoid, Avoid!
Czech movie goers may have enjoyed and rated this film highly because it was Czech, but I found it to be trite, tedious, moronic, boring, and insipid. Again, I suspect "ramping" in order to increase sales of this dog of a film. Amazon describes this film as being about a couple of fellows that refuse to grow up, but I will go one further--I think it is about two fellows that have entered a state of dementia and perform actions that make no sense to anyone. I have been told that one of the actors in the film committed suicide after the film, and I would believe it. When he saw his performance he probably realized what a gosh awful job he had done and realized that the only way to avoid terminal embarrassment was to make the "big exit", which I am sure was much more dramatic and a much better performance that he had done in "Autumn Spring." Don't waste your time or money on this pathetic performance. It's nothing but a dog in a manger.
Babam ve Oglum (2005)
Do Not Be Fooled
Based up reviews on IMDb I purchased a copy of Babam Ve Oglum from Turkey with English subtitles. It was not, as hyped, "One of the best movies ever." Instead, it was a poorly done, trite melodrama that I forced myself, and I mean FORCED myself to watch for about 35 minutes. I'll admit, one does take a chance when he buys based upon the recommendations of other IMDb users, but sometimes the risk is worth the reward. I suspect that the movie was "ramped" up by users in order to increase its appeal, and it certainly caught my interest due to its seemingly high ratings. But let's not be fooled. The $30 I spent for this title, yes $30!, was a complete waste of money. Usually I will try to resell those purchases I make on Amazon and Ebay that don't meet my expectations, but in this case the movie was so poor that I threw it into the trash, not desiring to foist the same foolish film on others. My warning: stay away from this movie at all costs, even if it is offered to you for free!