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Command Performance (2009)
Commanding Performance
'Command Performance' is not a very demanding movie, although saving the Russian President is a commanding act itself. No one expects some meaningful and profound movie when they sit down to watch a Dolph Lungren action movie. This movie is alright for a low budget straight to DVD action piece to spend an hour and a half with. Dolph is at his best, but the film itself is just not very original. Or anything special either. Only this time the savior of the day is a drummer with the combat skills of special ops soldier. The film is nicely paced and Dolph does a good job as a director. Some of the supporting actors seemed wooden, but that doesn't take away any attention from the main attraction - and that is Dolph Lundgren rocking and loading.
A ludicrous, but passable action flick that is quite enjoyable.
'Allo 'Allo!: The Gateau from the Chateau (1985)
The candle with the handle
And the second season ends with the bang. Sort off. 'The Gateau from the Chateau' was the high point of the second season (that itself was already better than the first one) and what a perfect way to end the season. The writers had turned the absurdity and slapstick level up a notch. And many jokes were much bolder and bushing the boundaries. My favorite moments were the interplay between Goren Kaye and Sam Kelly (pill from the till), and Herr Flick's reaction when he 'ate the fish'.
The second season also introduced to us some wonderful new characters that later become series regular. My favorite is that stupid Englishman who thinks he can speak French. Hilarious performance by Arthur Bostrom. We also got to know Engelbert von Smallhausen, another hilarious sidekick. General von Klinekrhoffen and Monsieur Alfonse made their comebacks.
28 panfilovtsev (2016)
On the Budget Epic
'Panfilov's 28' is based on Soviet propaganda legend about a small group of soldiers who stopped German tanks headed to Moscow. Let's put the historical inaccuracies aside and concentrate on the artistic values of this movie. Legends are legends, and they have always been good source material for cinema. With 'Panfilov's 28' Russians are making Hollywood, but still the Russian soul is shining through. The film is well put together. It takes a while for a battle, but with colorful characters and great acting, the first half-hour doesn't drag. Lighthearted banter between the fighters is quite amusing, but then the film shifts the tone a little bit. When Russians are preparing for the battle, and they wait in the trenches for the enemy attack, you can almost cut the tension with the knife. That there is good filmmaking - if you have a small budget, then create the atmosphere. But the battle scenes are not less remarkable. Depends on how much attention you put on the screen, you might not even notice that the tanks were 1:16 scale models. The authenticity is helped by keeping CGI effects to the minimum. Fantastic old-school craftsmanship. It is clear that the filmmakers put their hearts into the project and the result is a captivating war epic that gives the big-budgeted Hollywood movies the run for their money.
The movie barely raises above the usual war action drivel, but clever and stylish directing makes 'Panfilov's 28' worth the two hours.
Zvezda (2002)
Earth to the Star
The Star' might not be the most sophisticated war movie out there, but it was an exciting thrill ride. It quite never achieves the epic proportions compared to some better Hollywood and (Soviet) Russian was movies. Although we are not given much time to get introduced with characters, the heroes, and what makes them tick, are established quickly. Not much build-up - we are thrown into the action quite quickly. Still, there is enough room for the obligatory love story. Luckily that doesn't feel forced. The characters develop along with the story. We were given just the faces and names, but who these men really were, we learned while they moved towards behind the enemy lines.
Tight directing, perfect pacing and, timing with great acting makes this 'on the budget' movie edge of your seat thrill ride. Here I can't say that this is the only Russian war movie you should see, but it definitely belongs among the best (modern) Russian war movies.
P.S. I couldn't go without noticing that Aleksey Kravchenko's similarity with David Lynch is uncanny.
Doroga na Berlin (2015)
The Road Could Have Been More Interesting
'On the Road to Berlin' is quite mellow for a war movie. Nothing spectacular or memorable. The plot is implausible but interesting. and there are quite ridiculous moments there, but the acting is good, and there is some chemistry between the two main characters. It was entertaining and thoughtful enough and thanks to the short running time the movie didn't feel to drag. It seems that the movie was made with quite a modest budget. Battle scenes are quite bland. They don't seem t arise above from the rest of the film and they fail to elevate the rest of the movie above from the rest of the likes. Of course there was obligatory love story thrown in (or the promise of it). You can't make a war movie without a girl falling for a tired soldier.
I can't recommend this movie, but it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't call it a total waste of time. It probably would have needed more development. My review was as lazy as this movie.
Zavtra byla voyna (1987)
Guilty for being a friend.
'Tomorrow There Was War' is a story about children who were destined to perish in the midst of war and the Stalinistic terror regime. It is also about the conflict between generations, ideologies, and differences between being a citizen and being a human. The big question was raised - to whom one can stay loyal? To your friends or your country? Is it possible to be just and loyal to others while not betraying the other? With raising these questions the movie also gives them the answers.
We see the 9th graders who live in the belief that their country is fair and where everyone is equal, lose their innocence when they witness the terror of the regime at first hand. Attempts with first love and understanding poetry while also getting the smell of becoming an adult is suddenly stopped when bucked of harsh reality is thrown into their faces. They must stand up for what is right. Even if the system demands otherwise they can't thoroughly suppress the human feelings and curiosity. In the Stalinistic regime, curiosity killed. Also, showing any interests that didn't match with the official stance of the state, was dangerous.
The direction was low key, but not un-artistic. The story itself was so powerful that it didn't need any cinematographical novelties. I liked how the play between black and white and color cinematography symbolized the harsh reality and the hope in humanity. The best part was the powerful acting. Especially Irina Cherichenko as Iskra, (an activist of the Young Communist League who starts to see through the duplicitous system.) and Nina Ruslanova as her mother (a tough woman of principle and loyal member of the Party who starts to see that there are much more in the human than just the loyalty to the country).
This movie seems the be unfairly overlooked. That is unfortunate because besides the story and great acting it also gives a realistic picture of how it was to live under the Soviet regime before the war hit the soil of Mother Russia.
Belyy tigr (2012)
Though-provoking meditation over war.
'White Tiger' is not your usual war movie concentrating on heroes or horrors of war. It is a rather allegorical tale about the essence of war. I have to say I guess that I went into the movie with the wrong mindset - horror fantasy about tank commander who must face the undestroyable and mysterious enemy tank. As a genre, war and horror don't mix very well, yet I decided to watch this peculiarity. The film was presented as an action-packed horror epic, and so I went into this. The movie starts with a scene that depicts the aftermath of the tank battle where they recover a tank commander who has lost his memory but not his remarkable skills. From there on the film takes sudden turn into the territories of surrealism and mysticism. That itself is never a bad thing, but. . . It quickly became obvious where the director was going with this thing, and although, I did reset my mind very quickly, the film didn't work for me wholly. It felt kind of bland and sterile. Some parts didn't quite add up or match. It wasn't polished enough for war epic neither it wasn't 'artsy' enough to work as allegory. The pacing wasn't off, and there were some brilliantly directed scenes, especially the final standoff. And the appearing of the White Tiger from the mist nearly gave me goosebumps.
Quite an interesting movie with a thought-provoking concept. At least I thought about this movie afterward. If You happen to read this review before watching 'White Tiger' then I recommend you keep the open mind and not expect some usual war hero action epic. That might help. On the other hand, if the movie is truly great, it should catch your attention anyway no matter how prepared you are or in what mood you are.
I might give this movie another shot, although I got a general idea, the execution wasn't anything special. Yet, I can't call this movie either a boring or total waste of time.
'Allo 'Allo!: The British 'ave Come (1984)
The Thrill Has Come
One other commentator stated perfectly that Cafe Rene finally opens its doors. I say it opened them with a bang. Although 'The Reclining Madonna with the Big Boobies' has changed into 'The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies' and Lieutenant Gruber is now less decorated (in the pilot episode, there were more medals on his uniform) all the great components are here. The running gags start to work their way into the viewer's heart, and the witty remarks are truly sharp. Besides perfectly timed comedy, the second episode adds some serious thrills and tension into the mix. Even some of the modern thrillers don't have this amount of edge of your seat suspense.
Idi i smotri (1985)
Go and Look
'Come and See' is a beautiful movie. In the sense that it is beautifully shot and directed, but there is not much beauty in the story itself. This is probably the most devastating (war) movie I have ever experienced. That's right, you can't just see it, you experience it. The film puts its main character through such adversities and never gives any hope for things to turn better. Seemingly lighthearted scenes are sent by Oleg Yanchenko's ominous score that foreshadows the horrors coming. Even more horrifying than the brutal scenes of violence is the way we see the teenage boy grow older with one summer. At the beginning we see a young boy full of life, ready to protect his land, and by the end we only see grey and scarred human wreck. And not only physically - just look at those eyes of the boy, and how the life has been sucked out from them. The inexperience of the young actor is quite clear in some scenes in the beginning, but altogether, it is some remarkable acting. I guess the fact that the film was shot in sequence helped to improve his role. Almost like he grew with the character he portrayed. Not so fun fact - when the filming was finished, Aleksey Kravchenko's real hair had turned grey from the excruciating shooting period.
The visual style of the film is astonishing. I'm always overwhelmed by the ability of Russian directors to use vivid dreamlike visuals to bring the horrors of the war onto the silver screen. In this case 'Come and See' is a prime example. The scenes in the forest between Flyora and Glasha (Olga Mironova) seem like they belong into some other movie (or into some other genre altogether), yet they are properly placed. Different genres and styles are perfectly woven together in this visual poem about how the horrors of war can ravage a human soul.
'Allo 'Allo!: The British Are Coming (1982)
Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once.
I am on my stint watching World War II movies at the moment, and between movies, I decided to visit one of my all-time favorites - 'Allo 'Allo. When it comes to joking about one of the most horrible periods of recent world history, then leave it to British. I remember seeing this show the first time nearly twenty years ago. Between that time I've managed to see single episodes every once in a while. Now, I have to say, the show is very well-aged, and as I've matured, many jokes have grown better (that means, I now understand them) like a good wine.
Many jokes don't come out at first because they become running gags throughout the show, but the pilot episode offers enough moments for guffaws. There are rough slapstick, clever word plays, and subtle innuendoes. Genius acting with overly theatrical accents to attuned to the nationality of the characters. That itself is a neat trick to pull off. Plus, it is not a joke only at the expense of French, or even Germans, but the Brits are getting their fair share too. Not to mention the Italians in the later episodes. The events get going with such a speed, that one has to wonder why it took nearly two years to develop the pilot into full series.
'The British Are Coming' is a wonderful introduction to the timeless wartime spoof. I promise the show grows funnier as it develops on and running gags start to work properly without turning repetitive or dull. Go on, and watch the show.
Das Boot (1981)
Terror Under the Waves
There is no arguing that 'Das Boot' is the best submarine movie of all time. Although I can name only three others beside this one, so the competition is not very tight. Still, that doesn't lessen the greatness and value of 'Das Boot.' A tightly-scripted and masterfully acted atmospheric movie that deserves praises it gets. Special effects and set designs have stood the test of time. Add the precise directing and innovative cinematography by Jost Vacano, you get the timeless piece of cinema. Another layer that makes 'Das Boot' stand above many other war movies, that it is not anti- or neither pro-war (although the crew makes some mild jokes towards Nazism) - instead, it is a simple tale about men in war.
And the men are trying to do their best to defeat the enemy. As a viewer, it is easy to catch wind of the crew's hunt. (Even though, they fight on the 'wrong' side) The scenes where the submarine races through the waves accompanied by Klaus Doldinger's powerful score, honestly, feel exhilarating. The tight and claustrophobic atmosphere of the submarine feels even more stifling as the enemy is kept faceless. We only get to see the glimpses of enemy ships through mist and waves. They appear as ghost ships and this adds already a tense movie subtle layer of (quality) horror mystery feel.
Except for brief scenes in the beginning and the end, the whole action takes place inside the submarine. But not a single dull moment inside those 208 minutes (I watched the director's cut). Even when nothing seemingly happens, and the crew is bored and frustrated being without battle action, the smell of ominous threat is in the air as if something is about to happen any second now. And we all know, how difficult it is to make a captivating movie that takes place in a closed room.
Although he directed some quite entertaining action adventures later on in his career, Wolfgang Petersen never achieved such greatness ever again.