The Moving Image

Re:Kapitulacija Oskara 2014.

2014-03-03T12:32:00.002+01:00

Ovo će biti baš kratko jer je Buzz Feed napravio odličan pregled večeri koji možete da pogledate na sledećem linku http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/the-best-moments-from-2014-academy-awards?bffb

Što se predviđanja tiče, uboo sam 19/23. HA! Iako sam mislio da će dodela biti neizvesnija, ispostavilo se da su nagrade otišle tamo gde je očekivano. Gravity je totalno izdominirao sa 7 nagrada, sve apsolutno zaslužene, čime je ovaj film i zvanično priznat kao veliko dostignuće. Najbolji film 12 Years a Slave takođe ima zaokruženi broj priznanja, ukupno 3, iako je režija otišla prethodnom filmu. 3 Oskara je dobio i Dallas Buyers Club. U klubu dvojke su Frozen i iznenađujuće The Great Gatsby, dok su sjajna ostvarenja poput The Wolf of Wall Street i American Hustle potpuno ignorisana, kao što je i bilo prognozirano. Po jednog Oskara su dobili Her, nažalost, i Blue Jasmine.

Generalni utisak, posle nekoliko godina zabavnih dodela, koliko god je to moguće sa prenosom ovog tipa, jeste da je ovo jedna od najdosadnijih večeri u skorašnjoj istoriji. Pored toga što nije bilo iznenađenja što se podele nagrada tiče, nije bilo emocija - niko nije plakao, ni dramio, što je neverovatno. Nije bilo nikakvih nastupa, pa čak ni numere za otvaranje, verovatno usled prošlogodišnje pesme o sisama, ali makar je bilo nečega. Voditeljka je toliko pazila da nikoga ne uvredi da je bila neviiiiđeno dosadna, sa selfijima (Samsung onstage, iPhone backstage) i pizza šalama. Iako je bilo slatko videti brojne zvezde na selfiju i Breda Pita kako cepa kaprićozu, nije to to! Hello, ovo je dodela Oskara, ne pica-parti: Dajte malo performansa, drame, političkih ispada! Da ne beše onih nominiranih pesama, "šou" ne da bi dotakao dno, nego bi se zakopao 6 metara ispod.

Pogledajte samo koliko je npr. prethodna dodela bila sadržajnija klikom ovde!

Aj ćao, moram da idem da ne radim.

Oskarska prognoza 2014.

2014-03-01T18:34:00.001+01:00

Dodela Oskara je sutra uveče, a ja još uvek nisam napisao ni jedan post o tome. Jesam smanjio količinu trabunjanja o ostalim temama, ali ovo stvarno moram da ispoštujem... Na poslu smo imali kladionicu o ovogodišnjoj dodeli, koju ću sada da podelim sa vama i ovde, a ono što mnogi ljudi ne shvataju kod ovih prognoza jeste da se treba ubaciti u način razmišljanja Akademije i zaokružiti ono za šta misliš da bi oni glasali, a ne ono što ti misliš da treba da dobije nagradu - HA! Ove godine su nominovani stvarno odlični filmovi i posle mnogo godina, potpuno je neizvesno koji će film pobediti...

Moj favorit ove godine je Her - za najbolji film i originalni scenario, zato što je priča toliko lepa, ljudska i topla, a prikazana na hladan, skoro depresivan i otuđeni način. Kostim, kamera, ritam, kraj - sve je apsolutno po meri. Ali, mislim da će Akademija prednost dati 12 Years a Slave kao najboljem filmu i adaptiranom scenariju, dok će Spike Jonez zadovoljiti Oskarom za najbolji originalni scenario. Dvanaest godina ropstva možda deluje kao još jedan melodramatični prikaz ove tematike, poput Color Purple, ali je daleko od toga - surova, realna, teška i potresna priča. Drago mi je da je sranje poput The Butler potpuno ignorisano ove godine!

Film koji je podelio publiku i kritičare ove godine je svakako Gravity. Po meni on predstavlja impresivno ostvarenje koje se mora gledati na velikom ekranu u 3D tehnologiji da bi se cenilo u potpunosti. Ali i pored tehničke strane, za šta će sigurno dobiti Oskare za zvuk, montažu i vizuelne efekte, Alfonso Cuaron će verovatno dobiti nagradu za najbolju režiju, jer je sve tehničke elemente filma stavio u službu ekranizovanja napete i zanimljive priče. U ovim segmentima se moje preferencije i prognoza apsolutno poklapaju.

The Wolf of Wall Street će verovatno biti najveći gubitnik večeri, ali ne zato što je loš film, već zato što je previše slobodan za ukuse Amerikanaca. Mislim da će Scorsese ponovo biti uskraćen, kao i Leonardo DiCaprio, što već postaje javna sprdnja jer je taj tandem napravio toliko kvalitetnih filmova/uloga da je nepravedno da im se ne oda "najveće" priznanje od strane Američke filmske akademije, a nažalost će tako verovatno biti i ove godine. Dakle: 0 Oskara za ovaj tim.

Što se glumaca tiče, očigledni pobednik za glavnu mušku ulogu je Matthew McConaughey, a sporednu mušku Jared Leto u Dallas Buyers Club. Ponovo kažem - sasvim zasluženo, ali malo nepravedno, ako se uporedi čitava glumačka karijera DiCapria i McConaugheya :) I ove glumačke kategorije su jake ove godine i mnogi će ostati praznih ruku: Christian Bale (još jedna suluda fizička transformacija za American Hustle), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) i Jonah Hill (odlična sporedna uloga u The Wolf of Wall Street).

Za glumice je stvar skoro pa izvesna. Cate Blanchett - glavna ženska uloga za Blue Jasmin, a Lupita Nyong'o za sporednu žensku ulogu u 12 Years a Slave, iako su u ovim kategorijama nominovane miljenice Akademije Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) i Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle). Tu je naravno i Amy Adams iz American Hustle, koja je fenomenalno odigrala glavnu ulogu i zaista je izvanredan glumački talenat, koji će tek biti priznavan!

Film koji definitivno ima odličnu formu na uštrb sadržaja (što je po meni idalan način za ekranizaciju ovog dela) jeste The Great Gatsby koji će verovatno odneti nagradu za scenografiju, ali nije isključeno da ovog Oskara odnese i American Hustle, zbog bolje prođe kod kritičara. Dallas Buyers Club sigurno odnosi Oskara za šminku i frizuru, jer su ostali nominovani u ovoj kategoriji smešni. Zašto Hobbit nije u ovoj kategoriji nominovan, izvin'te?

Za kraj, Oskara za najbolji animirani film i originalnu pesmu za animirani mjuzikl Frozen. Bez sumnje i ozbiljne konkurencije, osim The Wind Rises, poslendnji film Hayao Myazakia, ali ipak je Disney jedan od najprepoznatljivijih američkih brendova, a ovo je dodela nagrada Američke filmske akademije.

Toliko. Evo i sažete prognoze ispod, pa da vidimo koliko je pogođeno u noći između nedelje i ponedeljka. Već se ježim od same pomisli na glas Sandre Perović ili retardiranih simultanih prevodioca fosila, ali šta ću, kad volim ovu ceremoniju uprkos tome što nam je javni servis debilan, a ove nagrade toliko pompezne i beznačajne :D

Best Film: 12 Years a Slave

Best Director: Gravity - Alfonso Cuaron

Best Actor: Dallas Buyers Club - Matthew McConaughey

Best Actress: Blue Jasmine - Cate Blanchett

Best Supporting Actor: Dallas Buyers Club - Jared Leto

Best Supporting Actress: 12 Years a Slave - Lupita Nyong'o

Best Original Screenplay: Her - Spike Jonze

Best Adapted Screenplay: 12 Years a Slave - John Ridley

Best Foreign Film: The Great Beauty - Italy

Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Best Animated Film: Frozen

Cinematography: Gravity

Film Editing: Gravity

Visual Effects: Gravity

Sound Mixing: Gravity

Sound Editing: Gravity

Original Score: The Book Thief

Original Song: Frozen - "Let It Go"

Production Design: The Great Gatsby

Costume Design: American Hustle

Makeup&Hairstyling: Dallas Buyers Club

~ZaOkReT~

2014-02-19T15:24:00.002+01:00

Posle 3 godine i tačno 100 postova, vreme je da okrenemo novi list, da ne kažem stranicu, odnosno Facebook page, gde će se najveći deo aktivnosti ovog bloga odigravati. Tu je i novi dizajan i, ako me razumete - maternji jezik, koji će biti primarni kodni sistem obraćanja, što će biti pravi izazov za mene :)

Ova adresa će i dalje biti otvorena za moja malo opširnija proseravanja o pokretnim slikama, ali kako je trend sve veće tviterizacije tekstova uzeo maha, page https://www.facebook.com/imagemoving će biti glavni. Tako da, ukoliko neko uopšte i čita ovo, lajknite pa se postujemo.

Filmski bloger,

Stefan Ćivonavolim

Hahahaha

Baz Luhrmann's Nature Boys

2013-05-23T13:18:00.000+02:00

There was a boy. A very strange, enchanted boy.

They say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea...

One of Luhrmann's "Nature Boys" wandered into 1900s Paris, Montmartre Quarter. The other - straight into New York's high society at the rise of the Jazz Age, arround 1920s. Both of them were out of place and tried to fit into the excess of the given surroundings. At one point they seemed to mingle quite well. And what is proved by the end of their tales is that both of them were destroyed by the glittering world they wandered into.

Baz Luhrmann's Nature Boys: Tobey Maguire (Nick Carraway) and Ewan McGregor (Christian) in
The Great Gatsby / Moulin Rouge

Nick Carraway is primarily F. Scott Fitzgerald's character from the classic novel The Great Gatsby, that
was recently adapted (again) for the silver screen by Baz Luhrmann, director of kitschy extravaganzas like Romeo + Juliett and Moulin Rouge. The man is a true auteur, with specific (to say at least) visual and storytelling style, and let us not forget the music. Rearranged melodies of popular songs is something that has become his signature, and techno jazz was amazing in Gatsby, despite many people who have loathed this choice. But, what worked perfectly in Moulin Rouge (over the top set&costume design, trippy special effects and montage), didn't fare very well with his latest movie. His The Great Gatsby was stuck somewhere between all the craziness and trying to take itself to seriously.

The Great Gatsby (2013) lacks a Green Fairy character from Moulin Rouge (2001)

While in Moulin Rouge one could swallow all the pathetic dialogues, in Gatsby they were laughable, just because the first film was suspending your disbelief as much as it did, with everything that was thrown at you, while the later should have gone more and bigger. Yes, you read it well. Gatsby suffers from some tonal inconsistencies, unable to decide whether it was a serious portrayal of social and moral decadence or a film more in the Moulin Rouge cannon of storytelling. I'm not saying it was bad, far from it. It's rather enjoyable and rewatchable, with the story and the characters, all in the right place (except Mrs. Wilson who was seriously miscast!). It should have had more of that spark, with more than letters from a typewriter flying our way.

Homoerotic relationship of Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) and Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio)

Speaking of typewriter, the parallel between Luhrmann's Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) and Christian (Ewan McGregor) from Moulin Rouge is obvious. I would even go as far as to say that it was the same character. A humble wannabe writer, who gets consumed by the excess and all that decadence, who is a narrator of the film. In both films we have a devastated and disillusioned "Nature Boy", who writes the story of how it all had happened. Fitzgerald's Carraway wasn't like that. Another distinction is Nick's homoerotic relationship to Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) which was more than clear. Gatsby was Nick's Satine (Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge), and was truly in love with the man, which is further substantiated with the reduced character of Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki). While in the book Nick was even dating her in one period, the movie never goes into that. It was all about Nick and Jay, even more than it was about Jay and Daisy.

I loved Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, maybe not as much as I loved Moulin Rouge, but I still did. It is a trully beautiful film both visually and emotionally, even if it did take some liberties in portraying homoerotic relationships. It made it stand out from other interpretations of the great literary work, and maybe from others that are sure to come. Now give me Great Gatsby: The Musical !!!

VSF: Upside Down

2013-03-08T15:24:00.000+01:00

The Stoker Family

2013-03-03T01:43:00.000+01:00

"Just as a flower does not chose its color, we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only once you realize this do you become free..." From the acclaimed South Korean director that made Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, among other films, comes his first Hollywood feature. Chan-wook Park had made an elegant step into the big league, without compromising his auteur vision. Well not quite... Compared to his homeland films, Stoker looks safer, but the brutality is replaced with suspense and mystery that give you the uncanny feeling that something truly sick had happened, is happening or might happen by the end of the film. The comparisons with Hitchcock are in place, especially now that the dialogues are in English, keeping it closer to the master of suspense's territory.

Behind the classic mystery story of a Richard Stoker suddenly dying in a car accident, and an Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode) appearing out of nowhere to live with the emotionally unstable Mrs. Stoker (Nicole Kidman) and her outcast daughter India (Mia Wasikowska), lies a weird coming-of-age tale. Needless to say that the relationships in this family are something even the nosiest of neighbors wouldn't dare to sniff through, as all of the characters seem out of the odds from each other, from themselves and from the rest of the world.

The actors are superb in their respective roles. Nicole Kidman's marble face is as gorgeous as ever, and right on the spot. Uncle Charlie is seductive, charming and at times Norman Bates-ish. But the true star of the picture is Wasikowska, as among all the gritty family secrets, her story is the one with most impact. And she plays it brilliantly, not letting you know whether she's an angel or a demon - whether to call the police or hug her! And I loved all the details and object that help to frame the story and that keep you guessing and wondering...

Parks masterful direction and innovative nonlinear storytelling, framing and camerawork drive you through the narrative, and even if the mystery part doesn't prove itself to be that much unexpected, the portrayal of everything else is deffinetly worth watching. In his Korean films he used to depict brutal subject matter within the frame of marvelously executed visuals, and doing so making you feel guilty for enjoying the horrors that happen on screen. As said, compared to that, this one is safer, but equally disturbing to watch, because of the thin line he walks between good taste and cheap shock.

85th Oscar Night RECAP!

2013-02-26T03:33:00.000+01:00

Argo won the Best Film, even though Lincoln was the big favorite, and despite the fact that Ben Affleck didn't even get a director nomination! This is the first time after 7 years that Best Film and Best Director didn't go to the same movie. Argo got the total number of 3 Oscars (adapted screenplay and editing). This is the second Oscar for Affleck, for he also got it for Good Will Hunting. The only question remains, why was it necessary for Michelle Obama to announce the winner???

That's right! The first lady of America tuned in to announce the winner for Best Film, alongside the tinny Jack Nickolson:)

Best Director went to Ang Lee for Life of Pi. It was his second Oscar, since he also won for Brokeback Mountain. This film got the most Oscars in total, which is 4! Life of Pi also got visual effects, cinematography and musical score! And yes, the fossil remains of Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda presented the award:))

Quentin Tarantino got his second Oscar, after Pulp Fiction, for Best Original Screenplay for Django Unchained. This film got the total number of 2 awards.

The second Django Unchained Oscar went to the Best Supporting Role for Christoph Waltz. This is also his second Oscar, since he won the previous one in the same category in the previous Tarantino film - Inglorious Basterds.

And here is the rest of the Django Unchained cast - Jaime Foxx and Kerry Washington as presenters

Best Supporting Acctress, and there wasn't any doubt about that was Anne Hathaway for the impeccable role of Fantine in Les Miserables! That film also got 3 Oscars in total (also for makeup & hair-styling and sound mixing)

Since it was a night dedicated to musicals, which made the whole night magical, there was this segment where some of the songs from the musicals where performed live! The cast of Les Miserables performed a medley of the songs from that amazing film...

Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson performed "I am telling you I'm not going" from the movie Dreamgirls, for which she received her Oscar...

And the unbelievable Catherine Zeta-Johnes performed live her Oscar awarded role of Velma Kelly in "All That Jazz" from the hit musical Chicago

Speaking of Chicago, it had been 10 years since that film won the Best Film Oscar, and the cast (Richard Geere, Renee Zellweger, Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Johnes) appeared as presenters

Daniel Day Lewis received an Oscar for Best Actor for the role of Lincoln. He also made movie history, since he is the only man to ever win three leading actor statuettes (My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood). The only woman who has three Oscars is the woman who presented the award, the legendary Meryl Streep. Lincoln won another award, for production design, which makes it the biggest looser of the night, since it was one of the favorites:)

Best Actress was awarded to Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook. She was gorgeous, and yeah she tripped and slightly fell, and I don't know what the big deal about that is. The bigger deal is that she was the weakest of all the nominees in the category. Jessica Chastain, Emmanuelle Riva and Quvenzhane Wallis were just more!

Speaking of the gorgeous Jessica Chastain from Zero Dark Thirty, which only got one Oscar, for sound editing, here she is with Misses Affleck - Jennifer Garner, presenting...

And speaking of the amazing Emmanuelle Riva from Amour, who is the eldest nominee and also celebrated her 86th birthday, Michael Haneke got the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Bond girl and Oscar winner Halle Berry announced the omage to the Fifty Years of James Bond!

And Dame Shirley Bassey performed the theme from 1964 Bond film Goldfinger...

And Adele "screamed her song at the audience" and won an Oscar for Best Original Song for the latest James Bond flick - Skyfall

Barbara Streisand and Norah Jones also sang, separately...

And the Star Trek crew was there (Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana)...

And the Avengers (Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and Sammuel L. Jackson)...

Harry Potter and Bella (Daniel Radcliffe and Kristen Stewart)...

And Nicole Kidman, of course!

Chaning Tatum and Charlize Theron danced beautifully in the opening act...

And Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe also helped the host - Seth MacFarlane, who was charming and entertaining through out! Now many were concerned about the rudeness they could use in the script, and they played it brilliantly with self-parody and auto-ctitisism...

With the help of Captain James T. Kirk coming from the future, and warning the host about the dos and donts, which all led to one of the most enjoyable Oscar nights I can remember!

My red carpet favorites: Quvenzhane Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild, which unfortunately didn't win any Oscar, but as an independent film it was more than enough for being present in all the big categories! Next up, the Burtons, and Helena Bonham Carter, who always has some of the film costume designers do her Oscar dress! And the adorable Eddie Redmayne from Les Miserables!

Enjoy the buzz winners...

Until next year;)

Oscars 2013 Shoulds&Wills

2013-02-23T15:04:00.000+01:00

Sunday evening is the big and Oscar night! Are you ready? Most of the films were somewhere out there for your viewing pleasure, and there are a nice bunch of good movies for this year's consideration. My personal favorite this year is Beasts of the Southern Wild, but I got a feeling that Lincoln is probably going to be the big winner of the night. Below, you can find my predictions, but in the column before it are the winners, as if it were up to me to distribute the awards. My taste and the Academy's have rarely been in accord, but I have been pretty accurate in guessing their pics. If you click those highlighted films, you will be able to read why I think a flick should win or not, as most of the films were covered in previous posts. But my question is: What is your opinion of the shoulds&wills for the Academy Awards 2013? Write in the comments below...

CATHEGORIES	SHOULD WIN ♥	PROBABLY WILL WIN
BEST PICTURE	Beasts of the Southern Wild	Lincoln
BEST DIRECTOR	Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)	Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
BEST LEADING ACTOR	Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)	Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
BEST LEADING ACCTRESS	Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)	Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR	Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)	Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
BEST SUPPORTING ACCTRESS	Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)	Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY	Moonrise Kingdom	Zero Dark Thirty
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY	Silver Linings Playbook	Lincoln
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM	Amour	Amour
BEST DOCUMENTARY		Searching for Sugar Man
BEST ANIMATED FILM		ParaNorman
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY	Life of Pi	Lincoln
BEST FILM EDITING	Argo	Argo
BEST MUSIC SCORE	Argo	Lincoln
BEST MUSIC SONG	Skyfall	Skyfall
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN	Les Miserables	Les Miserables
BEST COSTUME DESIGN	Les Miserables	Anna Karenina
BEST SOUND EDITING	Skyfall	Skyfall
BEST SOUND MIXING	Skyfall	Skyfall
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Life of Pi
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Hitchcock

UPDATE: Click for the 85th Oscar Night RECAP!

Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock

2013-02-20T18:33:00.001+01:00

I get why there's so much bad buzz going around this flick. When you see a movie coming out titled Hitchcock, your expectations get through the roof, since he was one of the greatest figures in film history. You would expect a dark and edgy movie about the legend, and Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren would surely boost your hopes up. I'm not saying this film is bad, it only didn't deliver on the expectations, but I enjoyed it very much. It's a charming semi-comedy that tells the tale of how his master work Psycho was made. Through the mix, many of the man's quirkiness are hinted, like his passion for innovation, fetish for platinum blonde leading ladies, but most notably the relationship with his loving wife, the great woman behind the legend - Alma Revile, played by the Queen herself. The supporting cast that has Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel is ok, but rather unnoticeable The acting is as well as expected and the story, although a bit superficial and naive in it's tone is engaging and fun to watch. The did try to darken it up a bit with the real life Norman Bates haunting Hitchcock and tormenting him, which did quite work well with the rest of the narrative, but all in all, it was enjoyable. If nothing, immediately after it made me re-watch the original Psycho, in all its glory, and admire the genius of Hitchcock in its true form. Hopefully, people will see this similarly, and not be to harsh on it.

Master Phoenix in Scientologyland

2013-02-18T16:38:00.001+01:00

What magnificent performances! From Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of a cult classic Magnolia (1999) and the Academy acclaimed feature There Will Be Blood (2007), comes a film of a World War II veteran (Phoenix), coming back home disturbed and lost, and crossing his path with the charismatic new cult leader (Hoffman). The film is weird, at times hard to watch, and deffinetly 'not for everyone', but an achievement that would be highly recommendable, if nothing, for the portrayal of a lifetime from the master of acting - Joaquin Phoenix! He is exceptional in the leading role, with insane energy that can be consuming and very frightening at the same time. That man knows how to walk the line, and more so - to step so boldly into the dark parts of human psyche, that one must question his ability to come back from the role unscarred both physically and mentally.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is very good in his role, as expected, although a little overshadowed by Phoenix. Nevertheless he had build the character of The Master with edge and likability. Amy Adams plays his wife, and this is also a step up for her, from her charming, princess-like roles, but she has little screen time to prove her true value. However, in each scene she has, she was able to bring out her maximum, and the Academy recognized that, since all of them were nominated for their performances. As for the best film and director awards, somehow The Master was overlooked, and one cannot help but wonder if this has anything to do with the Hoffman's character being based on the founder of Scientology, and everyone knows how that lot rules Hollywood.

Paul Thomas Anderson sat down with the Guardian journalist, after the film's premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and had some interesting things to say. Here are the excerpts from the interview, and you can find the whole text if you follow this link. It is interesting that the director arranged for a special screening of the film for his Magnolia star Tom Cruise, the most popular Scientologist out there, which was done out of respect and not as an obligation. "The last thing I want to do is insult someone and their belief system. That's not my bag at all. And the impression people seemed to have is that if you do something about Scientology then it must obviously be an attack... But yeah, I knew we were trafficking in elements that were very delicate."

"It's more the basic idea that appealed to me, because it concerns memories and other lives, particularly after the second world war, and that's what got me excited. Getting into it from that angle felt like fertile ground. You listen to the songs from that period and everyone's singing about seeing you in my dreams, or finding you in another day. All the lyrics are ghost stories, coming out of the war. Or science-fiction stories about travelling in time. You come back from the war and the love of your life is married with kids and you're not the same person who went away. That kind of stuff is so heartbreaking to me", concludes Anderson.

So there you go. A film that was surrounded with so much controversy and misinformation is not a critique of the Scientology movement. As the Guardian journalist beautifully puts it: "What's great about The Master is the way it looks to the future as well as the past. It's a salute to ingenuity, to making it up as one goes along; showing the way in which bold new ideas can spark off in a variety of directions... What follows is not so much a display of tabloid fireworks as a sweeping epic about hope, loss and the scars of war; a celebration of the American knack for self-renewal and a criticism of it too."

Denzel's Flight

2013-02-13T16:37:00.000+01:00

You've read the title correctly. The movie Flight is a perfect vessel to display Denzel Washington's talent, that it completely shadows director Robert Zemeckis' return to quality film-making. This is a decent flick, with a well written script, excellent directing and as good as expected acting. What I didn't expect from this film is to be so personal, emotional and a character driven drama. From the trailers and the posters, I expected this to be another airplane crashing thriller, but that part happens in the first 15 minutes of the running time. The rest is what counts, as we see the aftermath of the crash, that may or may not have been caused by the pilot's turbulent life choices. Deffinetly worth a watch.

VSF: Moonrise Kingdom!

2013-02-12T21:48:00.002+01:00

H8 The Movie Called Lincoln

2013-02-11T21:21:00.002+01:00

If you are prepared to be bored and on the verge of stabbing your eyes out with the first sharp object that comes in hand - go see this movie! You can find more emotion, drama and excitement watching a History Channel documentary than this latest film by Steven Spielberg. It shouldn't come as a surprise that it got all the major Academy Award nominations, since it shows an important part of American history. The film is titled Lincoln, and it should have been called 'Passing the Abolishing Slavery and Ending the Civil War Act', since it is all that you will see here, completely with all the names of all the congressmen and politicians of the time, which mean nothing to the regular people, I think in the United States, as well as in the rest of the world. Daniel Day Lewis does a nice job in portraying the man, but that doesn't take away the dullness and the slow pace and insignificant details that are being thrown at the audience. Hell, even him in character has a scene where he admits that he has the habit of getting people to snooze with his overly long stories, and he has more than a few to tell in this film. I didn't expect a biopic that highlights his greatest achievements (like the abysmal last year's Iron Lady), since the Civil War and the slavery achievements are his greatest achievements. But seriously, how do you suck the life out of these happenings and portray them so coldly??? Anyways, I do see this movie getting a bunch of the American Academy Awards, because of the topic, and because of Mr. Spielberg being the father of modern Hollywood cinema, but there are much better achievements out there that will go by unnoticed because of this torture of a film.

00:30

2013-01-24T16:02:00.000+01:00

Zero Dark Thirty is the latest film by the Academy awarded director of The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow. The title refers to a military slang for the unspecified time in the early morning before dawn, which is when the raid on Osama bin Laden's hide out was conducted, and the terrorist killed. The film follows the CIA officer 'Maya' in her ten year long investigation and search for the most wanted man in history. It is said that the film is based on recounts of the actual events that had occurred, since it had the support of the bureau in question, but than again, this manhunt had been covered in dark and secrecy for many years, and as the movie saw the light of day, many officials have released statements that the film is pure fiction, which has a lot to do with the torture scenes, which officially never happened...

Since I've been bitching a lot lately about movie lengths and the way they harm the quality of the film, here I must say that not a frame of the picture is excess. With solid two and a half hours running time, it goes in depth of the investigation, while never feeling to technical or boring. The actual attack on bin Laden is supposedly the same length as it happened in real life, which shows just how much effort the director had put in details. The film has a solid pace, with suspense, thrills and drama when they are needed. What it lacks is the emotional depth, which is done on purpose, since the directors cuts the moment the tears start bursting, which has a lot to do with the central character. Jessica Chastain, who I adore, plays Maya with calamity and the perfect balance of strength and fragility. Sadly, since this performance isn't quite out there, poking your eyes out, it might not be recognized by the members of the Academy, which is such a shame for this beautiful and talented actress! Because of her performance, and the masterful art of storytelling, which has a documentary feel to it, this movie is a must watch, even if you are not a fan of American foreign politics.

Silver Linings Playbook!!!

2013-01-23T16:56:00.000+01:00

This film has some wild, crazy and intense energy! I am inclined to write this post in short sentences and ending each sentence with an exclamation point! Wow! It will make you laugh hard! It will boost your spirit! You'll enjoy every second of it! Watch it as soon as you get the chance!

Oh boy where do I start!? It completely took me by surprise and blew me away! I have never heard of it, before it snagged all those Oscar nominations in the big categories, and I just had to watch, and boy, was it a good thing! The script is absolutely cracking! The pace is fast, the dialogues are sharp and brisk, and the characters lovable in their quirkiness! I am surprised the Academy has recognized this as one of the big players, since it has that independent look to it, and it's a dramedy with very harsh, politically incorrect dark humor, but I am so glad they did! Cannot wait to see how will it do at the Oscars, but I am sure it will become a cult classic! Woo-hoo!

♥ AMOUR ♥

2013-01-19T15:20:00.000+01:00

I have yet to be disappointed by a film from Michael Haneke, and I'm glad such a thing may never happen! In his latest, titled Amour, he gives us a film about the aftermath of "...and they lived happily ever after, till the end of their times". Ever wondered how that looks like? Haneke will show you in his most realistic and emotional film so far. Portraying the relationship between two loving people, he will show you what true love looks and feels like, but this time, through the unpleasant part of the marital vows - "...for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

What I expected, coming into this film is that I would be a mess for days, since I have a huge soft spot for elderly people. However, that was not the case, and I am glad for that. I must have forgotten whose film I would be watching, since Haneke is far from pathetic and over-emotional. Having that in mind, the film is far from cold and reserved. It beautifully captures the small joys, fear, loneliness, responsibility loyalty, desperation, resignation and of course immense love in a very confined space, while never going over the top. There's just no easy way of describing the rawness of the relationship between the two characters in the given circumstances, but rawness that is realistic and classy, never vulgar and condescending. The stars of the film, Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant, are absolutely adorable and true masters of their craft, as is the auteur filmmaker Michael Haneke! Hope they win everything that is win-able, and there is just a few awards left that this marvelous achievement hadn't gotten. I ♥ AMOUR

VSF: Holy Motors!

2013-01-18T14:41:00.000+01:00

H8: Atlas, Pi, Django...

2013-01-17T17:15:00.001+01:00

Ok, hate would seem a bit harsh. I don't hate these movies, but I feel cheated since everyone I know is experiencing something extraordinary after seeing them, and the reviews are oh so great, but I just don't see it. It occurred to me that I just might have a problem with films as of lately, since rarely any movie can satisfy my high expectations. I would hate to see this blog turn into a movie graveyard, which is why I am going to limit the H8, after this post, and only write about films that blow me away. Well, I hardly doubt that I would be able to resist spitting on a film or two that everybody loves, but I will try to do my best not to spoil it to the still eager moviegoers out there. As always, dear reader, this is me, and you are free to state your own mind:)

When I saw the trailers for the Wachowskis&Tykwer epic independent film Cloud Atlas I was blown away. I thought this film to be something close to one of my favorite films - Aronofsky's The Fountain, as both of them seem to use the same techniques to tell a universal and timeless story. After each and every viewing I came to appreciate The Fountain more and more, and when it comes to Cloud Atlas, I cannot afford to give it another chance. It is dull, the characters are one dimensional, and the story not very inspiring and well connected through various segments. Since it was done by three directors, it really feels like 3 not to distant, but still different visions and tones that color each of the storylines. I stuck through till the credits rolled just to see if they will give it the glorious push and the crescendo at the end, as The Fountain did, but they totally shot the blanks. And I hate leaving the theater without the expected catharsis!

Same story applies to Ang Lee's Life of Pi. This movie should have been breathtaking, and although it didn't disappoint me as much as the previous film did, still it did not blow me away, as expected. The visuals are great, but if you take away that component and imagine you were watching it at home, you wouldn't have that much to hold on to. What seriously lacks in this feature is pacing. The first part is interesting but to long, and it doesn't go well with the second half of the boy and the tiger in the middle of the Pacific ocean. The first half could have been connected to the boat situation in a form of flashbacks and it would have been so much effective. This way, you are treated with the visuals and the boy-tiger bond, which isn't that much emotional. I liked the punch near the end with the alternative storyline, that was a nice touch, but overall the movie is a flop...

And what to say of the Tarantino's latest - Django Unchained? Well firstly, I'd have to say that I am not a big fan of Tarantino's, to say the least, but I appreciate his unique storytelling technique, even though it's sometimes full of shit. I loved his previous, Inglorious Bastards, where he settled the score with the Nazis, for all the terrible things they've done. In Django, he uses the film medium to give the African Americans the chance to have their vengeance. The script has some outstanding, creative and hilarious parts, but this man also needs to learn when to cut! The simplest storyline gets so complicated and dragged out for nearly 3 hours, when it could have been more enjoyable and with quite a punch if it had been trimmed properly. I would have been looking forward to the Producer's cut DVD of this film,which would have been a blast! But even that couldn't fix some of the shaky character motivations and actions...

An Expected Journey

2012-12-14T00:47:00.000+01:00

All of the Lord of the Rings fans are ecstatic for Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth. Telling the prequel story covered in The Hobbit book might have been a difficult task for the creative team, especially having to live up to the high standards of the original trilogy. Having in mind the love for the source material, and the high standards, I can honestly say that I enjoyed the first part of the new trilogy The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Sure, it has major flaws, one of the obvious ones being its running time. When I first heard people complaining about this I couldn't believe it, since I am a huge fan of the extended versions, and I never thought that the length could be a problem. And it isn't. The problem is the richness of the material that LOTR has, and The Hobbit sadly does not. It is a 300 page single book, with less scale and epic-ness, and the new movie suffers from that. Many of the scenes were dragged out more than they deserved, and others felt like a technically enhanced deja vu. If you were expecting another Fellowship of the Ring you really are in for An Unexpected Journey ;) As for the others, you dear readers are in for a visual feast and a fun, light-hearted ride.

I liked the way this new trilogy is getting framed and connected with the other films. The story starts with old Bilbo, played by Ian Holm, beginning to write his book, and starting to prepare for his big birthday party. There are these little hints that tie in to the Fellowship, with Frodo leaving to meet Gandalf at the entrance to Hobbiton. All of that was so nicely done, and not to mention the astounding prologue, which tells the story of the fall of the Dwarfish kingdom beneath the Lonely Mountain and the coming of Smaug the Dragon. From there, the things start to get tricky with the mentioned problem. The scene with the dwarves, the trolls and many others should have been cut drastically in order to have a greater impact.

What I really liked are the really unexpected parts of the journey, which serve as a connection to the LOTR films, and also to give this quest a larger meaning than just the reclaiming of the lost treasure of the Dwarves. For this purpose we see the familiar faces of Elrond, Galadriel and Saruman, and some new ones, which I won't spoil here. Can't wait to see how all of that plays out, since, honestly, the journey of the Hobbit and the Dwarves seem a bit tedious and uninteresting. I wish they had stuck to the earlier plans of telling that story in one or two films, and leaving at least one film as a bridge to the events of The Lord of the Rings.

The old cast is again on the top of their game, reprising their old roles, but so are the newcomers. Martin Freeman as the young Bilbo is so charming, balancing perfectly between comedy and drama. Tying to that, I understand that this story has a lighter tone, but the slapstick comedy bits were really inappropriate, and only the youngest in the audience laughed at those gimmicks. The hard task of distinguishing 13 different dwarves was also nicely done, as they all came out as individualistic and relatable characters. One thing that felt a bit disturbing, and uncreative is the resemblance of Thorin to Aragorn, and Kili to Legolas. They shouldn't have gone to filling in those type characters, and they should have made them their own.

Once again Andy Serkis steals the show as Golum. Riddles in the Dark is deffinetly one of the most enjoyable scenes from this film, as it captures the suspense, the danger and the insanity of that meeting. The other scenes, with the trolls and the goblin king never really have that edge, and it might have to do with the excess of comedic bits that get associated with the Dwarves. Besides that, the action sequences were really stunning, and seeing all that and the familiar locations in the depth of a 3D screening really was an experience for itself. And lets not forget the memorable music score, done again by Howard Shore, with some old tunes combined with the new ones, that really amplified the enjoyment.

The bottom line is that I enjoyed immensely being back in the cinematic world of Tolkien. I am deffinelty gong to watch The Hobbbit: An Unexpected Journey many times, and I am very looking forward to the sequels. I'm just hoping that Peter Jackson realizes that an epic film doesn't necessarily has to have an epic running time, with no material or depth to back it up. I rest my case.

Laurence Whatever

2012-12-02T14:57:00.000+01:00

Do you like the rising Canadian director Xavier Dolan? That is the first question you should be asking yourself, when considering to see one of his movies. Why? Because that boy has so much ego that it could be felt and even overwhelm your experience of watching his films. He is a very big name among the queer audience, but let us not forget the father of queer cinema, who Xavier desperately tries to surpass. I am talking about Pedro Almodovar, of course, who has the credit and experience to delve deep into the subject of gender and sexuality. Dolan does not. After I Killed My Mother and Heartbeats, comes his latest achievement that explores the relationship between Frank (that's a straight girl) and Laurence, after he reveals that he wants to change his sex and continue to be involved with Frank. That's a mouthful, and so is Laurence Anyways. It is way to long than it should be, and clearly the director doesn't want to cut when it is needed, because he's obviously to much in love with every frame, that he looses the big picture. Thankfully, his Woody Allen syndrome is not present here, since he left the leading roles to talented actors - Melvil Poupaud and Suzanne Clement.

In order not to be a total hater when it comes to Dolan, I'll have to give him the credit for loving his calling, but on the other hand loving it to much, might result in not being able to restraint yourself, when such thing is needed. Also, he deffinetly has the eye and the creativity for great and artistic visuals, but then again, putting them just for the pure sake of it, for making a scene look cool is not cool. Laurence and Fred are on the top of the game all the way through, as their complicated relationship goes through epic transformation. There are some exceptionally strong scenes, that show the raw emotion and the nervous breakdown of the main characters, and they are captured very effectively. The main problem I had, besides the length is not being able to understand Laurence or his actions, and trust me I am very liberal. If this would be a Twilight movie, and there were teams, I would be team Frank all the way:)

If you are a Dolan fan, you are going to see this no matter what anyone else says. If you are not, again you should see it, because there are deffinetly good sides to this Titanic. If you have never heard of Xavier Dolan, you should see this film, because he is one of the directors that has huge potential, and I trust that with experience, he might become a force to be reckoned with. The bottom line, as always is: see for yourself :)

Beasts of the Southern Wild

2012-12-01T13:46:00.000+01:00

Coming into the theater to see this movie, a family with children sat behind me, and one of the kids asked their mother what this film was about. She replied it's about animals, which led me to believe that they were into some kind of a Disney's collaboration with Animal Planet flick. Boy were they in for a surprise! Visually, this film is far from Disney's standards of 'magical'. It follows a group of people living in the rural south of America, refusing to be evacuated from their homes, because of the impending threat of a hurricane that could sink their entire land. It shows all the raw emotions and lifestyle of these people, that actually are Beasts of the Southern Wild. They are proud and protective of their beastly lifestyle. They are not afraid of the natural disaster that may end that lifestyle or change it. They are scared of the people who will make them conform to the socially acceptable norms of living - eating, dressing, behaving! On another level, this films serves as a cry for the impending climate changes that could lead our Planet into a new ice age. But this message is so subtly communicated, through the symbolic of prehistoric beasts that were trapped in the glacier, and thanks to the global warming, get free and start marching to destroy humanity as we know it...

All of the drama is portrayed through the eyes of one magnificent small individual called Hushpuppy - a six year old girl living a free spirited and optimistic life with her father in that land called the Bathtub. "Buoyed by her childish optimism and extraordinary imagination, she believes that the natural world is in balance with the universe until a fierce storm changes her reality. Desperate to repair the structure of her world in order to save her ailing father and sinking home, this tiny hero must learn to survive unstoppable catastrophes of epic proportions (Fox Searchlight)" Quvenzhane Wallis is absolutely charming in her leading role, and all of the other characters that don't get much screen time or lines are more than fleshed out and memorable. The role of her father (Dwight Henry) also shouldn't be forgotten, as this untypical family's relationship becomes the frame for all the larger-than-life drama that befalls them.

This truly is a one of a lifetime experience that is highly recommendable for all who can enjoy a truly magical and heartwarming cinema experience! If this isn't enough for you, maybe 4 prizes at the 65th Cannes Film Festival should do the trick ;) Hushpuppy <3

The Pietà!

2012-11-29T23:41:00.000+01:00

The Pietà is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most often found in sculpture (source Wikipedia). Pieta by Kim Ki-duk is his latest film that got the top prize at the Venice Film Festival - the golden lion for best film. It divided the jury of the prestigious festival, since it is without doubt very controversial and not easy to watch, but in the end very moving, delicate and precise piece of movie-making. The audience at the Auteur Film Festival in Belgrade was also divided, as more and more of them began to leave the theater after each scene of violence. It really disturbed me (not the scenes but the film goers) not only because it distracted me from fully getting into the picture, but because they probably got the tickets, which are not easy to get to, just because the film was opening the festival, and many people who would have appreciated it could see it. I'll say it again it is difficult, but what would you expect from a South Korean film, having in mind at least the most popular Chan-wook Park's Vengenace Trilogy!?

All the questionable violence happens off screen and it is only implied, which proves the mere mastery of the director - to evoke such disturbing feelings among the audience, without even showing the act itself! Another thing: it is not there just for the pure sake of it. Every scene has it's purpose, and every act of violence is right on the spot. If the mentioned parts of the audience have stuck around enough, they would have seen it! The influence of Park's films is obvious, not just for the extreme amount of edgy scenes, but because of the themes. But Kim goes beyond that. Firstly there's the obvious comparison that comes with the title. Only in this Pieta, the protagonists are the mirror opposites of Jesus and Mary. The other obvious thing, that pokes you in the eye a bit is the devastating power of capitalism - in destroying the small fine craft shop owners, tearing down houses to build skyscrapers and the pivotal role that money plays in the films. You could even say that it's one of the main characters, but certainly the great motivator and the foundation of the plot.

The story is simple at first. We are introduced with a ruthless loan shark who has very sadistic methods in getting the money people owe to his boss. If they don't pay back in time, the interest goes up like mad, and then he does. He cripples them, so they can get the money from the insurance, and that's were the edgy parts start. But when his mother that left him after birth comes back seeking forgiveness, things really start to get uglier! If he's like that to people who have done nothing to him, you can only imagine how he treats the cause of his sadism - the prodigal mother that returns. If you can make it through these scenes you are in for a hell of a ride, and saying anything beyond that would do your movie-going experience no good. Suffice to say it really deserves the award at Venice, and that's coming from me, and if you have read my other European festival reviews, you know what it means! The details, the emotion, the bigger picture it is all there for your viewing pleasure, and I strongly recommend it!

Fräulein Barbara & Monsieur Lazhar

2012-11-10T17:13:00.000+01:00

On the recently held Free Zone film festival, Belgrade audiences had another opportunity to see the selection of art house films that deal with political and social themes from all over the world, or should I say the region, since this year's edition suffered slightly from the obvious budget cuts. Not only were there no encore showings of the films but the program was filled with Croatian and Kosovar films, which is not bad, since the general audience doesn't get a chance to see any of these films in regular distribution, but it is a surprise considering that the regular audience of this festival was spoiled with a lot of choice in terms of achievements and showings as well. Nevertheless, the mere existence of this type of festival is a positive refreshment in the cultural offering of the Serbian capital, and I would hate to see it extinguish and disappear because of the lack of resources! Having said all that, the tickets went out like crazy, and due to that and my own budget being cut, I only got to see two films from this year's selection - winner of the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Director - Christian Petzold's Barbara and two times winner at the Cannes Film Festival - Philippe Falardeau's Monsieur Lazhar.

Set in a period of the Cold War in Eastern Germany Barbara is banished to the countryside for seeking an exit visa and trying to escape the oppressive regime. Working in a local hospital, she distances herself from everyone, fearing the general atmosphere of the time, and planning to escape to West Germany to her lover. The director captures the whole paranoia story with mastery and elegance, but not exactly with the best effect. His muse, Nina Hoss is also good in the titular role, but given the circumstances of the plot, comes out as this cold and reserved character, that you cannot relate to. Again, the film is a successful portrayal of the period, and as such it may not need to give you an emotional or nervous breakdown, in order to fully convey its messages, but then again, the total constraint in every way, may not be a best way to bond with the audiences. When all of this comes together with the film's slow pacing, and an unrewarding and surprising climax, you are left with a huge and cold gapping hole in your experience, which might be exactly the point of Barbara. But when one remembers The Lives of Others, one must question the directors choices...

The other film I saw is quite the opposite. Giving it all out, with no less mastery than the previous, Monsieur Lazhar is an emotionally rewarding story, that has to be the audience's choice. After a teacher from an elementary school in Montreal commits suicide, an immigrant from Algeria is hired to replace her. In a subtle and heartwarming manner, the story follows the staff of the school and the kids dealing with the emotional event, trough their relationship with an outsider, who has to put his personal tragedy aside, in order to get close to his new life. From Mohamed Fellag to all the more than talented child actors, I applaud the way they delivered their characters believably and more than that - they had you from the shocking beginning till the bittersweet ending! It deals oh so delicately with questions like life and loss, as well as the intricate relationships of teachers and students, and in doing so it never comes out as pathetic and melodramatic in its most negative sense. It is a must see, and without watching other films from the Best Foreign Language category, I hope it gets its' well deserved Academy Award!

That's it from this year's Free Zone. Stay tuned for the upcoming Auteur Film Festival reviews...

Let the Skyfall...

2012-10-31T15:32:00.000+01:00

Just let it... Considering the amount of praise that the newest entry in the James Bond franchise has got, as with Looper, you might expect to see "the best 007 movie so far", as many of the critics are calling it. But unfortunately, it stands just a bit over Quantum of Solace, and waaaaay behind Casino Royale. Now is this film also a victim of super high expectations, which seems to be the motif behind this month's releases? I cannot say that, because the positive buzz has really gone over the top with this one. What's good about it? Craig, Daniel Craig, who's one of the best Bonds so far. I'll admit that the Bond of my generation is Pierce Brosnan, but damn is Craig good or what!? Not only does he have charm, but he can kick ass as well! One of the nice things in this entry is that we got to see Bond portrayed as a human being - vilnerable, not just emotionally, like in Casino Royale, but also physically. He really goes out of shape, and than rises like the Dark Knight he is:)

The villain, or should I say Javier Bardem in his villainous role is also one of the positive sides of the film. The character is terrifying and quite a little menace, but his motivations are so stupid, which make his plans stupid and then the whole plot of the movie! What else is lacking in a Bond film is action. Aside from the opening Istanbul sequence, none of the action felt intense. When I just think of the third act of Argo, or even Casino Royale, I get chills, but here everything is kind of blunt, even if it is more personal than what you might expect.

Another thing that makes Bond tick are the femmes fatales - Bond girls. Berenice Marlohe is absolutelly breathtaking! But, she only has so little screen time, that, if she wasn't on the poster, you wouldn't even know that she is significant. Her Severine role is so minor, that had it been played by a woman with less personality, it wouldn't even been noticed. And the other girl that you might have noticed on the posters is ... SPOILERS... SPOILERS... SPOILERS... (STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE FILM)

Miss Moneypenny! Yes, the quirky tragically in love with James, M's secretary - Moneypenny. That was a nice touch of bringing back those iconic characters of the franchise. There is also the new Q, played by Ben Whishaw, and that was also nicely done, since he is the Q for the new generations - young and nerdy, but knowledgeable and again a total contrast to Bond, like the old Qs. It's going to be nice to see their quarrels in the continuation of the series.
So that was a minor spoiler, and now let's talk the big ones, which really pissed me off. Dame Judy Dench won't be returning to play M in the series because she dies at the end of the film! I was so pissed because of that, because she is the perfect M and also the M of my generation! And the way she died, omg! The whole plot of the film is centered around Javier Bardem, who's an ex agent, trying to kill her because of her ruthlessness of handling the missions, and she doesn't even get the tragic death by him, but is wounded and bleeds to death in Bond's arms! Argh! And his plot to kill her is stupid and unjustifiably held of till the film finale. He could have blown her away in the first scene!

And do you want to know what Skyfall is? It's the name of the mansion where Bond, James Bond lived with his parents. Stupid, lame, whatever. I'm done with this. If you have seen that Quantum of Solace abomination,go and check this out, but don't expect the sky the fall, since Skyfall is just average. Here's hoping the next two, that are reportedly going to follow a two film arc and be shot back to back, here's hoping that they are going to be spectacular, because the franchise really has potential, and everybody loves this spy!

P.S. There is a really nicely done homoerotic scene between Craig and Bardem, that is really unsettling and sexy at the same time. At least they managed to pull off something that is suspenseful and interesting!

ArGo F*** Yourself!

2012-10-27T13:59:00.000+02:00

Ben Affleck proves again that he is a great director and a force to be reckoned with! After the dark and exceptional Gone Baby Gone, and an intense The Town, he manages, yet again to give us a quality movie-going experience. In the latest flick called Argo, he goes into a 'based on a true story' realm, and uses a declassified C.I.A. case about an Iranian hostage crisis in 1979, where a massive protests in Tehran led to the capture of 60 American diplomats in their embassy. Six diplomats escaped and found refuge with the Canadian ambassador in Iran, and they were being hunted desperately by the Iranian national guard. Now if this wasn't based on a true story, I would have a hard time believing that those six people were of more interest for both sides than the remaining sixty which were already captured, but given the circumstances, they were the ones that had a real chance of surviving, hence the absurd mission of their rescue via operation 'ARGO'...

"Argo" is the name of the fake movie, a sci-fi romantic action-adventure, designed to be set in the oriental environment and to be shot in Tehran. It was a cover under which Ben Affleck's character would go into the hot area and extract the six diplomats, disguising them as a film crew, which is there for a location scouting. Now, the sheer idea of the mission is worthy of the most absurd Hollywood movie, but there is that 'based on a true story' tag that forces you to see that all of this actually happened, which makes it even more interesting to watch.

The first part of the movie works like a semi-documentary, leading us into the story and the political context of it. The short history of the Persian empire, the rise and fall of democracy in the area, and the events that led up to the escalation of violence. The middle part of the film is hilarious on the one side, but you never seem to forget the undertone and the sense of danger for the people trapped in Iran. Having that in mind, Affleck boldly makes fun of the Hollywood studio system, which kind of works like an expose of the way things work out there. Alan Arkin as a hot shot producers and John Goodman as a special effects guy help him in creating this 'big fake hit' of a movie, and that laughs just fly like crazy.

As for the third act, you could really see Affleck's mastery of the skill of directing. When he goes to Tehran for the mission and the way he handles it both as a character and director is so sensible and precise, that the feeling of suspense never leaves you, and keeps you glued to the screen, not knowing what else could go wrong. He really took a page out of Hitchcock's book there, following those simple, yet hard rules of making a suspenseful scene, and the last part of the film is just that - one big heart-pounding chase to see if this crazy idea will work or not. And all of it really payed off, because the result is really a masterfully crafted suspense political thriller, with just enough laughs to ease up the tension, and just enough thrills to make your heart race.

Given the majority of the characters that appear in the film and the limited amount of time to cover this amazing story, all of the characters are very well fleshed out, and get a chance to shine, maybe even on the expense of the leading man/director. You can feel that he stepped back and let the others take the spotlight, but even in doing so, he proved how well he knows the movie-making process and how to do things the right way. If you haven't noticed so far, I love Ben Affleck as a director, and am looking forward to whatever he does next, because clearly the man is on a lucky streak, and outdoes himself with every knew achievement. Way to go Ben!