Foreign
The audience-tormenting exploits of Funny Games and psychological paranoia of Hidden are toned down in Michael Haneke’s latest offering, The White Ribbon.
While master of menace Haneke builds in the destructive overtones of his previous offerings, here he follows a path of subtle exposition.
The Austrian writer/director circumvents the genre trappings of Funny Games in favour of a more artfully minimalist exercise in anxiety.
The Village of the Damned…
The action takes place in a Protestant northern German village on the eve of the First World War. A series of strange incidents occur which revolve around a group of children.
Comparisons to Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal sprung to mind while watching Haneke’s meta-musing on life. As with Bergman’s magnus opus, The White Ribbon reflects upon death and the meaning of life through a prism of stark black-and-white deep-focus photography. Wolf Rilla’s Village of the Damned also seeps through the screen at times.
It’s easy to see why Haneke’s sombre drama claimed the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year. The White Ribbon is fantastically cinematographic, beautifully acted, thematically challenging and genuinely unnerving.
Be that as it may, once the movie’s 225 minute runtime had elapsed, I’d be lying if I said I was fully satisfied.
My main – and only problem – is this…
Haneke goes out of his way to heighten audience anticipation over the source of the mysterious events bearing down on the villagers.
There is a kind of Scooby-Doo whodunit element that quietly plays out in the background. To this extent the film occasionally dips its toe in the conventional waters of genre thriller.
These allusions to cinematic convention hint at a decisive ending, so the absence of narrative closure came somewhat as a disappointment. This, however, is admittedly a minor squabble and Haneke is famed for baiting his audience.
And don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with exigent endings or those that break the mainstream modus operandi.
The White Ribbon is probably an acquired taste so even though it’s recommended, let me leave you with this thought: as a piece of art the film is masterful; as entertainment, it’s unpredictable.
It’s 2.38 am (Singapore Time) & I just got out from a very beautiful, visual ,cinematic experience -Raavan. I was one of the lucky few who got to experience Raavan a day earlier before it’s FIRST DAY FIRST SHOW date! And boy was i lucky.
Mani Ratnam always gives you something to think about after watching his films. It’s a beautiful piece of cinema that does not spoon-feed their audience, unlike other hindi films. You fall in love, sing a little whole lot, comes the edge of the seat conflict and than a happy ending. Ravaan does not come near a love story nor a rumored Ramayana epic storyline.
As an audience you got introduced to a “kampong” town, called Lal Maati. A town where the law is not set by a government or a ruler but a tribal named Beera Munda, played by Abhishek Bachchan. Beera is , from the movie, is the protector of the weak, the leader of the opressed people of Lal Maati. He’s a strong rugged, non-conformist man. Dev Pratap Sharma , a righteous and a respectful police officer, who is played by Vikram (on his debut bollywood film) knows that the key to bring order to Lal Maati is to KILL BILL Beera :)
Abhishek Bachchan played the villain/hero in the movie. He stayed true to his character, he didn’t sound like himself and you were drawn by the character’s emotions. The way he walked, spoke, fought- you can feel his burning desire for revenge! Why Revenge ? Dev wants to kill Beera-for peace and equality, but Dev’s police/army have harmed Beera’s sister instead , that lead her to take her own life. Beera was furious and he decided to kidnap Dev’s wife Ragini to the jungle, played by Aishwarya Rai.
(SMALL PLOT- not going to tell you the whole story, you got to watch for yourself)
Aishwarya Rai was pleasant to watch, and to see her dance once again was flawless and beautiful. She was elegant and her facial expressions are getting better. I think the whole lot of training done in the jungle made all of the actors recognize thier own roles and embraced them physically and emotionally. Kudos to Mani Ratnam, in executing the characters very well.
I think the surprise element in this movie was GOVINDA! When you see Govinda, you think less is always more. And that’s what Govinda is! No one have spoken about his character, nor see him making rounds doing promo for the movie. But i can tell you to look out for Govinda in this film! He played the forest guard , who aid Dev to look for Ragini in the jungle.
Although, this i can tell you-i am a little bit dissapointed with the Plot & Vikram Sir.
PLOT- Less is more. But the plot is really really not there ! and i am dissapointed that it was more heavy on the cinematography of the exotic locations rather than telling a story. I thought Mani Ratnam might be a little bit over ambitious to have filmed the movie simultaneously in hindi and tamil. I think he got lost in the plot. The characters were hugely defined but the plot was gone.
Vikram- Yes, it’s he’s debut hindi film. But i was expecting MORE MORE MORE! He was too coy and small for the hindi crowd. He’s always larger than life in tamil films, and i think he was too engrossed in depicting Dev a little smaller for the hindi audience, that he lost the essence of playing DEV, the HERO in the film. So he lost my vote there. I hope that he’ll do a better job in playing Beera in the tamil version.
Overall, I was left with mixed feelings for this film. I hope it will do well, politically speaking and i hope people will not anticipate it too much, because then you’ll end feeling a little bit disappointed ! I give this film 3 1/2 popcorn :)
In “The Maid” the Valdes family’s repressed, unmarried maid, Raquel (Catalina Saavedra) has been with them for 20 years. When her health starts to fail, Senora Valdes offers to hire extra help but Raquel resists the idea and causes first a young Peruvian, then a tough old battle ax to quit by locking them out of the house. When she tries this on Lucy (Mariana Loyola) it doesn’t work. Lucy’s upbeat, compassionate nature soon neutralizes Raquel’s resistance and she starts blossoming. Raquel’s transformation delights the family, who, even though exasperated by her moodiness, had been loath to fire her. The film takes place mostly in the house of a middle class Spanish family. Such confined space no doubt caused writer/director Sebastian Silva to use a handheld camera. Only his second feature as director, Silva honed his craft on multiple Hollywood films. “The Maid” is Best Foreign Film Oscar material. By Anthony Bond
With “L’ennemi intime” (the Intimate Enemy) Florent Emilio Siri achieved an amazingly realistic movie about the war of independence in Algeria. A French director finally managed to deal with one of the most troubled episodes of France’s colonialist history in a convincing way. The movie starts as Terrien, a young lieutant, is assigned to his new post in Kabylia, in order to replace someone who has just been killed by Algerian freedom frighters. Terrien is at first an idealistic man, believing in the possibility of a bloodless end to the conflict. But as the story unfolds, he realizes the pointlessness of the war, engaging into a tragic and unstoppable fall into madness.
Though “L’ennemi intime” can unmistakably be considered as the most historically accurate movie ever made about the Algerian War, during the movie we almost don’t hear about any of the major historical events of this period. In this way, the viewer is thus left like the soldiers, understanding nothing about a war on which he has no control whatsoever. War just seems to be dragging on purposelessly forever. The focus is thus entirely put on psychological aspects: the way the behavior or even the whole personality of the fighters from both sides changes, since the distinction between friend and foe as long faded away, and soldiers find out that their inner self can be their worst enemy. The amazing performance of all the actors makes this movie an extraordinary testimony of the daily life of the fighters during the Algerian War. All the characters have their own dilemmas, which intertwine and ultimately clash in a wonderfully woven scenario.
In addition to the realism of the characters, the movie also comprises truly breathtaking fighting scenes, including a stunning napalm-bombing sequence. In this movie there is not an inch of heroism though, neither in the ruthlessness of the Algerian freedom fighters, nor in the terrible means of repression used by the French army. No friends and no foes, no heroes and no villains. Only people left wandering around in an endless war.
They say that the potency of marijuana has changed drastically since the 1960’s. They say that the marijuana people smoked in the 1960’s is like oregano compared to what is commonly available nowadays. But drugs are not the only things that have gotten stronger since the 1960’s, movies are changing too. With the onset of ever more instant gratification due to internet advertising, mobile phones, and consumer tracking systems in the marketing and distribution of millions of products, people, and more specifically, the American public’s patience, attention spans, and incredulity are getting shorter, weaker, and are threatening to disappear altogether. Because of this decline in patience, attention spans of more than several second durations, and incredulity, movies (at least some) are becoming, in this writer’s humble opinion, more shocking, more intense, more graphic, and less far fetched than ever before. In the same way that marijuana has become more potent over the years, movies too have evolved in their capacities to communicate experiences. Take for example, the general, with Buster Keaton, an old, black and white silent movie. It was hailed in its time as very good. Buster Keaton was a funny guy who made people laugh and mildly stirred their emotions. He did many movies and was a very successful comedian. People knew who he was and they saw his movies because they knew that they would be rewarded with a pleasant experience, a nice short vacation from reality.
Now take a brand new movie that was just released in several theaters across the United States: A Prophet. This writer has never seen anything like it. It was unique in its relentless pace, gritty storyline, and carved-out-of-wood (hardened) characters. Very few traces of Hollywood exist in this movie. The protagonist has no romantic interest or counterpart and his only goals seem to be to out-dog-psychologize the other characters in the movie. By this I mean that he seems determined to possess a stronger will than anyone in the movie. Though exciting, mesmerizing, and impossible to turn away from, I found myself mourning for some lost element of joy or even the slightest hint of an uplifting message. Watching this movie, I felt very base instincts in myself being appealed to. It is very violent and very unforgiving in its depiction of the main character as ruthless and yet heroic. He prizes survival against desperate odds over anything else. He seems determined to do whatever is necessary to achieve satisfaction. In this writer’s humble opinion, his character is praiseworthy because of his ability to deal with reality exactly as it is and have slim to no illusions about his situation (though calling a merciless killer praiseworthy raises deep ethical issues about film as a story-telling medium). He is pragmatic, strategic, calculating and yet passionate. How much of this is his character and how much of this is the actor’s true personality is impossible to tell.
To compare The General (with Buster Keaton) and A Prophet (with Tahar Rahim) is a little like comparing apples and oranges but here goes. If you were to make the analogy using bullets, The General would be like an ordinary 22 caliber bullet: it does its job, it gets some kind of point across and if you’re in its line of fire, you’ll feel something. A Prophet would be like some sort of explosive head bullet shot out of an elephant gun that enters making a hole its size and exits leaving a hole the size of a basketball: it does its job and yours, and your family’s and your dentist’s and your lawyer’s and your milkman’s and your cousin’s and then goes on a corporate downsizing rampage, it hammers home its message with Thor’s divine hammer and then crawls inside your mind and rearranges some wiring and then writes you a couple dozen post-its and puts them up in your car and your office and your bathroom and then it makes you take acid and it explains everything again, and finally if you’re in its path, tell your next of kin.
Obviously, the analogy with drugs has already been elaborated upon so I won’t go into that again save to say that if A Prophet were marijuana, it would be some super potent genetically engineered strain that is laced with PCP or something equally horrible.
The impact of this movie definitely depends on what you bring with you when you watch it however. Some people will see gangsters, some people will see embattled religious sects, some people will see warring cultures, and some people will see the main character not as an actor but as the prison system which is the setting for the majority of the movie. One of the lessons here, in this writer’s humble opinion, is that prisons do not rehabilitate prisoners, they teach them that only the strong survive. All in all, A Prophet is, without a doubt in this writer’s mind, one of the most inordinately powerful pieces of cinema ever created. Grade A.
It took me 8 years, from the time of its release in 2002 to find the time to sit down and watch City of God. Poor show I know, but I imagine as its world cinema, the non-film students amongst you may not have even heard of it so I thought I'd do a bit of a review, to encourage everyone to watch it.
City of God, or Cidade de Deus, to give it its original title, depicts life in the infamous, real-life slum of the same name, situated in Rio de Janeiro. It charts the growth of gang culture and organised crime in Rio throughout the sixties, seventies and eighties and follows a group of youngsters as they grow apart and try to survive in the dangerous world of the City of God.
The "hoodlums", the aspiring gangsters of the suburbs, have strong morals from the beginning about how to make money and get away from Cidade de Deus and it certainly doesn't involve working. "The Tender Trio", a group of three young boys with inflated egos growing up in the sixties, decide the only way they will ever make it away from the slums is to hold-up a motel. The Trio make their escape. However, having stolen all that money, all 3 of them make themselves many enemies. Two end up dead and the third joins the church. Li'l Dice, a much younger boy who idolises the Trio surpasses their achievements in the slums, killing and stealing before he even hits puberty and changes his name to Li'l Ze.
Fast-forward to the slums in the seventies. Li'l Ze has made a name for himself. His coming of age means no one will touch him in the City of God and he begins taking over small-time drug businesses, hiring his workers and killing without a second thought those who oppose him. Standing in his way is a gang leader called Carrot who blindly refuses to give up his business and his drugs. Several killings and personal vendettas later, the situation in the slums reaches boiling point and becomes a full scale war.
The audience's way in to the violence of the gang warfare comes in the form of Rocket, the honest younger brother of one of the Trio. Desperate to leave the slum and make it as a photographer and with equipment scarce, it isn't until Rocket lands an opportunity with the newspaper covering the violence that his life starts to turn around. Li'l Ze wants his face plastered all over the papers and the reporters equally want to send Rocket in to get what they need, the dangerous environment means that they daren't send journalists or even police into the slums any more.
As the violence escalates, it all comes to a head. Carrot and his closest cohorts end up dead and Li'l Ze loses his business. As it dawns on him that all his power is gone, he is attacked by a group of runts (the name given to the young street rats of the City of God). The film ironically ends with Li'l Ze being shot dead by children as they discuss their plans to make it big and stop anyone who stands in their way.
The first 20 minutes of the film are quite jarring and I found it hard to get into at first. The action flits around all over the place and because we never stay with one character for very long it's difficult to know which is which, not to mention having to concentrate on the subtitles. However, once we find more out about our narrator and protagonist, Rocket, the film takes you on a rollercoaster ride through the chequered history of the City of God as he does everything he can to survive and make it as a journalist. Along the way we meet many different characters and I enjoyed how it felt like an ensemble film more than anything. Though Rocket is always there guiding us through the story's many twists and turns, we are often left in the capable hands of other interesting characters as we hear their stories.
The film felt quite segmented into separate chapters which seems to be deliberate. There are defined sections of the film charting the changes between the sixties and the seventies as well as subheadings on screen denoting specific plot developments which I really enjoyed because it pushed the plot onwards.
The culture and lifestyle represented in the City of God is far removed from every day life and that's what makes it such a riveting watch. We get a sneak peek into the life of people in the slums. What's great is that the film doesn't layer this on as if we should think that it's a terrible lifestyle. It certainly doesn't glorify the actions of the gangs and murderers but it at least offers a lighthearted (at times) look at the events in the City of God.
The script and the cinematography of the film are the two stand-out elements for me. I enjoyed the parallels and symbolism relating to religion as I felt it worked and a very clever, complicated script means we're presented with some very street-wise, smooth-talking kids that make you feel as though the slum is a universe away from anything you're used to. The characters tie together well and the clever ending, with the group of runts effectively inheriting Li'l Ze's reign of violence is a well-presented metaphor for the fact that life goes on. The events portrayed in the film are horrible but the film points out that it's life, it works in cycles in the City of God, and only Rocket seems to realise that there is more to the world.
I'm a firm believer in background reading before and after watching a film, and context in this case did fulfil my enjoyment more. The film is based on actual events and the majority of the cast were real life people of the slums with no acting experience. When I watch it again I'll certainly appreciate the work that each of the actors puts into their roles.
On the whole I was fairly riveted to my screen as I watched City of God. Aside from the few doubtful minutes at the beginning, if you're willing to give it a chance, City of God is an extremely rewarding watch and will leave you pondering the ins-and-outs of Cidade de Deus for hours after the credits roll. 8 out of 10.
Woody Harrelson is kick ass and out of hand in the ghoulish world of Zombieland! I'm telling you Zombieland is the funniest, most entertaining zombie movie ever! The Zombieland experience is what going to the movies should be!
Zombieland, a Mr. E Movie Review
(Run time: 81 min. - Directed by: Ruben Fleischer - Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray)
Woody Harrelson is kick ass and out of hand in the ghoulish world of Zombieland! I'm telling you Zombieland is the funniest, most entertaining zombie movie ever! The Zombieland experience is what going to the movies should be! And, Jesse Eisenberg rips the land right out of adventure and blows it straight through the chest and head of Zombieland!
The worlds gone crazy and become infected with disease. Everyone, everywhere seems to be infected it by it. First it's a fever that leads to madness, and madness that ultimately leads to a fetish for flesh! The opening of this movie has one of the best title sequences I honestly think I've ever seen! As Columbus, played by Jesse Eisenberg from Adventureland, begins his voice over to catch us up on the madness we see visually assaulting us in a borage of creative, stunning zombie kills, all while Metallica's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" rocks out in the background.
Zombies are on the loose everywhere and no one is safe! Well, unless you follow a few simple rules.#1. Cardio, because if they can't catch you they can't eat you! #2. Beware of Bathrooms, because zombies attack when they know your vulnerable, so hold it! #3. Double Tap, don't be stingy with your bullets, always make sure the zombie's dead with one shot to the chest and one to the head! Add in a few other rules such as buckle up and always check the backseat and you get what plays out in the first scene! Columbus stops at a gas station and is attacked when he tries to use the bathroom. He then has to run around the parking lot to avoid the two slower zombies who are attacking him. all while trying to get the keys into his car door. When he finally gets into the car he buckles in but forgets to check the back seat which of course has a zombie in it! Speeding into a wall he ejects the zombie through the windshield and of course has to double tap him. (Hilarious!)
Now on foot and trying to make his way home to Columbus, Ohio he runs into the tough as hell, smart ass Tallahassee, played by Woody Harrelson. (See a theme in the names?) Tallahassee is the baddest zombie killer there is! He actually make's killing zombie's into an art form! Using everything from a banjo to a baseball bat to make his kills! The two decide to team up and hit the road with Columbus heading for home and Tallahassee looking for a Twinkie. (Yeah, that's right I said Twinkie!)
When the two stop in a town to check if the grocery store has any Twinkies left they run into three zombie's and two sisters, Wichita, played by Emma Stone from Superbad, and Little Rock, played by Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine. Initially thinking they're helping the girls the guys are tricked by the two cons and robbed. But, not too far down the road they all decide that they should team up with the only other humans they've seen in awhile and head off.
Ruben Fleischer used the actual rules as cool graphics worked into the screen shots as sight gags that play out so well that it really adds simple, perfectly timed elements throughout the movie that really make the Zombieland experience that much more entertaining. Fleischer's slow motion camera tricks were so bad ass in that they really gave you the opportunity to visually absorb the action as it plays out to a point where you can actually appreciate it for what it is.
Everyone's acting was right on point. Jesse Eisenberg had just the right amount of funny likeable, nerdiness while Emma Stone was cute and tough all at the same time. Young Abigail Breslin played an outstanding little tough chick while the movie's stand out performance goes to the zombie crusher himself, Woody Harrelson. I think this is one of the best roles Woody's played since Natural Born Killers! Finally, when you add in a hilarious cameo by Bill Murray you really get movie magic!
I recommend this movie to anyone breathing, mainly because zombie's probably won't like the way they're depicted in this film. All I have to say is that if you want an awesome movie going experience then check out Zombieland! And, then do like me and make plans to check it out again!
Slumdog Millionaire is an awfully dramatic movie with with a chain of highly unreal imaginary coincidences.
Very dramatic movie which starts with a riot.
Two little brothers and one little girl lost their parents
in that riot.
Elder brother becomes the bad guy and the younger one
is supernaturally lucky because when this 18 year old office boy in a call centre
gets an opportunity to play "Millionaire Game"; he knew the answers
to all the questions MERELY because every question is related to
one of the incidents that he has experienced in his life from childhood.
Moreover he got the right answer to the last question just by fluke.
It has a happy ending because the younger brother was able to
find his childhood love (the little girl who lost her parents in the riot)
who turned a prostitute.
A.R.Rehman had composed music for lots of songs which are a lot better
than "Jai Ho" song.
My respect for Oscars has reduced after realizing that it is only a puppet of
lobbyist
![](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=vidamise-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0009S2T0M&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder.01._PC_TZZZZZZZ_.jpg "Oldboy (2003)")
My personal review for Oldboy the movie!
If you where kidnap and locked away for 15 years... what would you do? What can you do? Would you go crazy? Are you going to sit around and wonder Who did this to you and why?
You don't have to put yourself in his situation! Better yet you can watch it unfold right in front of you!
Before I tell you about OldBoy let me give you a warning!
This movie has a bit of violence! I don't want to say a lot but some of the movie scene's do have stuff that you wish you did not see! Want me to tell you what kind of stuff? Just a little? No! You will have to find out for your self!
About Oldboy:
In general the movie is about a man who is kidnap for 15 years!
Before you say "Oh! So that's it?" Heck no! That is only the beginning! First you have to see and hear what goes on inside the head of the hostage! Wouldn't you want revenge? Don't you want to see what hell he has to unleash when he is release?! Use your Imagination, Blood, Drama and Action!
Why did I watch this movie and why you should watch it?
I like Asian movies period! But I don't just watch ANY Asian movie! The movies that catch my attention are usually either:
1. High in Violence or Action
2. Has a lot of comedy
3. Base on a true story or true events
I don't watch a lot of movies; but have you ever seen a man take on 20 other man with a single hammer and win? Oh did a mention he does all of that with a knife inserted in his back? If you have never seen what I just describe then you should definitely see it! I know that you are not going to be disappointed!
Oh and I will admit! I bought the Oldboy graphic novel the first time I saw it in the store! It has a totally different beginning! You should read it too!
Ps. I heard that Spielberg and Will Smith want to remake this movie. Its difficult to picture this but Smith says that they are basing it off the first Graphic Novel for Oldboy. You can read more about this here.
A man struggling to make money for the family gets his bike stolen on his first day of the job.
The Bicycle Thief is about a struggling man to put food on the table for his family. The movie takes place in Rome post WWII. Since it takes place in Italy it requires watching the film with subtitles if you’re not fluent in Italian. Antonio Ricci (Lamberto Maggiorani) is an unemployed man that is struggling to get a job. When he does get a job it requires him to have a bike. So his wife sells some linen to the pawn shop in order to pay for the bike. He hopes this job will help the family since the pay is pretty good. The first day on the job he learns how to properly glue a poster on a wall. While he is gluing a poster his bike gets stolen he chases after the thief but eventually the thief loses him. This just ruins his day because he thought the income would help make things better for his family. The next day he gets a few friends of his and along with his son Bruno (Enzo Staiola) a place where most likely the thief would take the bike. They start looking when someone spots a part of the bike similar to the one stolen. The man that has the bike in his possession refuses to let Antonio see the bikes identification number. Antonio calls a cop so the man can allow him to see the number it turns out that it wasn’t the bike. Its starts to rain and that put a halt to the search for the bike. They go to another place and he finds a man that looks just like the guy that stole the bike. He follows the old guy that was making business with the young guy. He follows him to a church and tries talking about the bike but eventually the guy is able to make a run for it. As he tries to catch the old there’s kids calling for help because one of them is drowning. Antonio runs towards the kids thinking its Bruno but it turns out that it was a false alarm. Bruno was waiting for his dad on the top of a staircase. Antonio is so relief that it wasn’t his kid that he invites him to lunch. During lunch he allows his son to drink wine. It shows that incidents like that make you relies what’s really important in life. I think it made Antonio relies that an irreplaceable family is better to have than losing a replaceable bicycle. The end was a bit unsatisfying but at the same time it made sense since it’s based on an everyday plot. You’ll have to watch it in order to understand what I mean of this. I liked the movie since it was better than watching a musical. I was told after the movie that the actors that portrayed the father and the son weren’t actors they were everyday people playing the parts. In my opinion they did a very good job of playing the parts. I would rate this movie an 8 since it was a relatable movie to people that struggle every day. I enjoyed watching the film.
