Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 02:33
(A review of
Run Lola Run)
I have to admit it, even though I'm not exactly a huge fan, for some personal reasons, I still have some really nice memories of this movie. Indeed, after I bought my very first DVD player, this movie was one of the very first DVDs I bought at the time. As a matter of fact, I still have the DVD player and it still works (Well done, Sony!) but I don’t think I have the DVD anymore which is too bad. Anyway, in fact, I remember very well when this movie was released. Indeed, I didn’t see it in the movie theater but, very quickly, it became a cult-classic so I was definitely eager to check the damned thing. Eventually, even though I thought it was indeed a pretty a cool movie, to be honest, I can’t say I was completely blown away by the whole thing. I mean, sure, it was really entertaining, no doubt about it, but I don’t think it was really so clever after all. Still, Tom Tykwer definitely displayed some skills here and, eventually, he would become one of the most interesting directors at work nowadays and it is thanks to this movie that I discovered him. Concerning Franka Potente, back in those days, it seemed that she might have an impressive international career ahead of her but, except for a few movies like ‘The Bourne Identity’, she was mostly involved with some rather obscure movies after all. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, even though it was probably not a masterpiece, it was still a very entertaining and enjoyable movie and I think it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 02:20
(A review of
Good Bye Lenin!)
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I thought I might as check it out again. I remember it very well, when this movie was released, it was a critical success so I had some pretty big expectations the first time around. Well, I’m glad I watched it again because I enjoyed it even more. Indeed, the concept might seem silly and you can imagine that an American movie would have gone for the cheap laughs but I was surprised by how subtle the damned thing turned out to be. Sure, to see the fall of the Berlin wall and of Eastern Germany in general from this perspective was quite interesting and the clash between the Eastern and Western world as well and it was all quite funny and entertaining but, actually, they went really deeper than that. Basically, it might be one of the very few comedies (maybe even the only one?) which was based on a lie and it still actually worked. Indeed, it is most of the time a useless gimmick because the reason a lie is used are almost always worthless but, in this case, it actually did make sense. Of course, it was completely impractical and fairly ridiculous but the reason why was actually sound and, above all, the main character did it for love and completely regardless of his self-interest. Furthermore, I also loved the tone and it might be one of the most melancholic comedies I have ever seen. Seriously, this mixing of drama and comedy was pretty much flawless. For Daniel Brühl, it was obviously a star making performance but, even though he had afterwards a solid career, he has never given again such a strong performance. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in German movies.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 02:11
(A review of
Nosferatu (1922))
Wow, man... It is almost a 100 years old... How awesome is that! It is black and white, it is silent and yet it is totally spellbinding. I wonder how many so-called horror fans have still to watch this masterpiece? Basically, it is simply the first and ultimate vampire flick, no more no less. In my opinion and a view shared by the gross majority of the film community, it is still an amazing feature and all the vampire flicks made after that became its legacy. On top of that, not only is it a great horror classic but it is also a fine example of German expressionism. Furthermore, who was this guy Max Schreck anyway?!? He gave here one of the weirdest performances you'll ever see but it totally worked (He was so convincing that there was even this legend is that Schreck's otherworldly performance as Nosferatu was due to the fact that he was in reality a vampire. Willem Dafoe portrayed him as such, playing the vampire Count Orlok in 'Shadow of the Vampire', another movie that you should absolutely watch). To conclude, it is a great classic and it is definitely worth a look, even a must see for horror fans in specific and movie lovers in general.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 01:54
(A review of
Bicycle Thieves (1948))
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should probably re-watch it at some point. Anyway, it is probably the most famous movie coming from the Italian neo-realist genre and since it is such a classic, I was really glad to finally watch the damned thing. Well, the first thing that stroke me was how simple the story actually was. However, even though it was a simple tale, I was actually impressed by how damned efficient it was. Indeed, I am often amazed and even annoyed by how convoluted and far-fetched the movie plots can become in our modern movies. This movie was the proof that it does never need to be this way, that you don't have to have some annoying twist or some unbelievable action scenes to make things more entertaining. In my opinion, the combination of realism and symbolism displayed here was just great and the story was sometimes rather heartbreaking. Still, I guess it is an acquired taste and I guess many modern viewers might get bored by this flick. Anyway, it remains an awesome classic, it is definitely worth a look, and pretty much a must see for any decent movie lover.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 01:45
(A review of
Cinema Paradiso)
I already saw this movie but since it was such a long time ago, I was really eager to check it out again. Well, after all these years, it is still such a great movie and easily the best movie about movies. Back then, there was no television and you couldn't download the movies and you had to be there, in the movies theaters, and it was a magical experience. For me, to rewatch this flick after all these years was such a powerful experience. Indeed, I started to go to the movies when I was a little kid, back then, I was already fascinated and, after all these years, after watching maybe 6000 movies, it is still my greatest passion. This movie perfectly gave the reason why. Basically, movies are all about emotions, about dreaming, about leaving everything behind and getting involved in something bigger than yourself. Nowadays, with the streaming platforms and the download frenzy, it has become a more solitary activity but we still have the huge blockbusters in the movie theaters that provide a similar communal experience as displayed in this movie. Anyway, to conclude, it is a beautiful and nostalgic picture and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are a movie buff.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 12:55
(A review of
Nosferatu the Vampyre)
So far, it must be one of the best remakes I have ever seen. Of course, it might not have been as groundbreaking as the first version directed by F.W. Murnau but it was still a fascinating feature nonetheless. Indeed, I thought that the directing by Werner Herzorg was awesome and, in my opinion, it gave a totally different visual look on this story. On top of that, Klaus Kinski was a great substitute for Max Schreck. You might find it surprising but even though it might not be one of the most famous vampire flicks ever made, I believe it is actually one of the very best. Basically, they managed to create a great mood, reminiscent of the first version but still with its own style and flavor. Obviously, since it is rather slow, it is probably not for the impatient viewer and you shouldn't expect some spectacular stuff like you have in Francis Ford Coppola's version but it didn't bother me, in the contrary. To conclude, I think it is an amazing and underrated vampire flick, actually one of the best out there, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Werner Herzog's work.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 12:46
(A review of
Christiane F.)
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I had it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. To be honest, while watching this movie again, I was actually surprised by how weak the acting actually was, especially during the beginning, but it might be explained by the fact that the actors were all very young and had never acted before. Even so, it was still a powerful and shattering movie. Indeed, even though it might not be the most hardcore movie concerning drugs, it is definitely near the top ('Requiem for a Dream' might be even worse but I need to rewatch it to make up my mind for good). Basically, there was absolutely no joy, no happiness whatsoever in this movie, just total despair and that’s something they really got right with this movie, it was how dark and gloomy the whole thing was. Actually, this movie should be some compulsory viewing for all teenagers and, if after watching the damned thing, they still want to try heroin, then they would need some serious help. That's probably the most heartbreaking thing about this movie, the fact that it involves such young kids and the fact that they picked up such young actors instead of some grown-ups made it even more crushing to behold. Anyway, to conclude, if you don't mind getting depressed while watching a movie, the damned thing is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 12:31
(A review of
The Tin Drum (1979))
I actually already saw this movie but since it was maybe 20 years ago, I was quite eager to check it out again. To be honest, the only things I really remembered was the fact that there was this weird little boy and that the whole thing really had fascinated me at the time. Well, eventually, it must be one of the weirdest WWII dramas I have ever seen. I mean, half of it was a rather straightforward but still interesting telling of the rising of the Nazis in Poland at the time and the other half was basically some kind of surrealist tale about a strange boy with some unusual gifts. Well, once again, I thought that this mix was just quite spellbinding to behold. Above all, the masterstroke was to find David Bennent to play the main character. Indeed, while watching the damned thing, I was still not able to figure out how old he was, not only because of his appearance but also because of his acting skills which were just as convincing if he would have been a young boy, a teenager or an adult. Eventually, I have discovered that he was not even 13 years old at the time which is just mind-blowing considering the depth of his performance. Anyway, to conclude, even though it seems slighty forgotten nowadays, it is still a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 12:25
(A review of
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days)
Honestly, before watching this movie, I wasn't aware of this page of history so just only for this, it was really interesting to watch this movie. For once, you have here a WWII feature where Germans were not only nazis but also some heroic role models and I thought it was a rather refreshing approach. You may wonder if at this age you would have had the courage to take the same actions, probably not. Eventually, to enjoy this movie, it all depends if you like historical movies or not, I guess. Personally, I thought that it was a spellbinding drama with some sober but efficient directing and acting and they effectively avoided to make the whole thing overdramatic. To conclude, I thinkit it was a rather fascinating historical feature and definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 7 months ago on 16 May 2011 12:09
(A review of
Aguirre: The Wrath of God)
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. It is probably the most famous movie directed by Werner Herzog and since I kept hearing some great things about the damned thing, I was really eager to check it out. Well, it completely deserved its reputation and, even though it might be slow for some impatient viewers, I thought it was just quite spellbinding to behold. For this movie, for the very first time, Herzorg was working with Klaus Kinski who gave probably his most famous performance as Don Lope de Aguirre. Anyway, apparently, those 2 guys seemed to think that, to make a movie about an insane man, well, you pretty much have to become actually insane yourself. Of course, you might wonder if it was really a good idea to go so far just to make a movie but you can't argue that the end-result was quite amazing. In the future, I should definitely watch ‘Fitzcarraldo’ which was apparently another fascinating and insane jungle adventure involving once again Herzorg and Kinski. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, the whole thing was quite mesmerizing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Werner Herzog’s work.
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