zoranov Reviews

The Commune (2016)

An interesting, exotic, intense story that is not truly engaging

[7/10 · 6 May 2016]

Less difficult to watch then The Hunt or Festen, Thomas Vinterberg's Kollektivet (The Commune) impresses with great cinematography and how successfully it seems to reconstruct the details of the sixties and seventies fashion in Copenhagen, Denmark. But at the same time, it fails to deliver a truly engaging story. It's an interesting story, it's an exotic story, but the situations presented are so unfamiliar for someone who hasn't even considered living in a commune that it simply makes the plot hard to relate to. The Danish director apparently grew in a commune, but that doesn't mean that the story is autobiographical. However, it is pretty obvious that such a subject couldn't be presented so convincingly by someone without the experience of living in a commune. European movies are more and more something of an alternative cinema treat and this movie is a quite a delight from that perspective. The alternative lifestyle of the protagonists is presented in such detail that it doesn't seem forced or artificial. Most of the characters have strong personalities, but these are kind of ignored, as the pace is too quick to stop for them. Ultimately, what truly sticks out in your memory hours even after watching the movie is a very sad love story. A story about allowing extreme changes to your lifestyle and then having to bear all the consequences, with all the associated happiness and tears. "Maybe this is what people use to do in the Northern parts of Europe, I don't know what to say" was the first reaction of someone in the audience that I overheard at the European Film Festival, after the Bucharest opening screening. I kind of agreed. It is quite difficult to relate to a movie about an extreme leftist commune from Denmark. However, if you like strange stories that show with great talent a historical time and place, then The Commune is something you might fully appreciate. Yes, the action could also take place in a more modern setting, as the world is full of communes. However, what really makes this movie watchable is the love invested in recreating the look & feel of a defunct 20th century decade as seen and felt in a Northern Europe capital by a truly talented and hard- working director.

Closer to the Moon (2014)

A group of Romanian communists robs the National Bank. But why?

[10/10 · 10 March 2014]

Unless you have at least some basic knowledge about Communist Romania, this movie might seem very far away from a rating of 10. As the story unraveled, it sucked us into an atmosphere that most of us feel is long gone, and nevertheless, so close to us. It's the period when the first cracks in an apparently perfect egalitarian world started to appear. Robbing a bank with guns in a communist country is like robbing a supermarket of its toilette paper. Money then and there was useless unless you could justify its origin. And that is what makes this story so strange for us. But there are many, many other layers to the story. The cast is great. The historical background is fascinating (at least for us, Romanians). And the cinematography is far above average. This movie was like a breath of fresh air. One full of poisonous gases, as seeing the movie, you will discover that there are many things about the human race that will upset you, but at the same time, air that provokes an uncontrollable laugh. Some people in the audience didn't appreciate the jokes. I did, because I considered it was the only way not to make the most depressing movie in the world. A masterpiece that will most probably be considered as such many years from now, when people will start making movies about our not so egalitarian society.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

In this second part of the story, food becomes an ecosystem of living, breathing animals and there is only one person that can stop this.

[8/10 · 12 October 2013]

I liked the first part, but I'm telling you - this second part is far more memorable. I had a lot of fun watching it and although I felt no real connection to the characters, it made my Saturday evening a lot more beautiful than I expected. I know it's just a Hollywood animation trifle, and not a particularly original one, but nevertheless, it's such a crazy script that you simply cannot stop liking it. I am surprised that as I am writing this it has only grade 6 going to 7 from the users. I've seen far worse animations that got more. The scientist, his girlfriend the weather reporter, his not so intelligent, but very wise father and the rest of the crew around the main character make a great mix of fun. And that's all to it, whoever searches for more from such a movie obviously had no idea to what kind of movie he/she was going.

Ernest & Celestine (2012)

A bear and a mouse fall in love, despite everyone around telling them it is impossible

[10/10 · 12 October 2013]

A beautifully drawn and told story for children, with a pretty deep message for adults. Almost everything about it is near perfection and probably its only true imperfection is that it is too close to perfection. Up and down, individual and gregarious, social and spiritual, almost all the fundamental symbols of humanity are so nicely put together into the cutest story ever that you might feel it's too simple. It is in the end, after all, just a children story and for some of the people watching it the message will maybe not go through. It's like saying to someone that the secret to happiness is to think positive. They'll dismiss it as a total nonsense. That's how I came to the conclusion this movie is a straight 10 - the secret to a good movie is almost childlike simplicity and sincerity.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)

Not the type of SF romance flick that I like!

[6/10 · 6 October 2012]

The premise of the movie is amazing and it clearly could appeal to an unbelievably large crowds of Doomsday believers. Recent polls show that worldwide, 1 out of 10 people on Earth believe that an end or another end is coming this year (a recent international IPSOS poll). And though the end of the world is this movie's starting point, the story that follows is different of what many people might expect. Some may enjoy it, some not. It's unfortunately one of those 50%-chance-you'll-like-it productions that never completely get to me enough as to recommend to other people. It is a story of Him and Her during the last days on Earth. People they meet have a wide array of reactions, while the situations they encounter make them think and change. On those last days, everything in the story is set within a delicate romance that unfolds against all odds. So, as you can see, It is a romantic flick nicely dressed in a last days on Earth journey that really lacks attractiveness for me. I guess I am just not that much into romantic stories on a bad SF. I loved the music, though, it alone made the movie in the end a pleasant 90 minutes of really relaxed fun. I guess... Go for it with a nice significant other, if you notice acute romantic symptoms...

The Intouchables (2011)

A gem of a modern story

[10/10 · 29 August 2012]

Why 10/10? The casting is magnificent, simply perfect in most of the cases... Rarely does the movie uselessly linger. The characters' laughter is simply contagious and in many cases you feel like you'd really like to be able to just somehow cross the line and enter into the movie and become part of it.

Oh, and it's French, which really adds to its flavor.

I didn't read anything about this movie before or after watching it today. But if someone in the future will tell me - "From the Director of The Intouchables", I would go for it.

The only thing I found redundant in this movie was the way the story flows - a linear story-line structure would have suited me much better. I think the script tried to hide the fake-ish looking climax to the end of the story... Moving things in front only made it worse.

In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011)

Condensed soap opera with a political message

[1/10 · 29 August 2012]

Most of the people can get past a pretty badly written script – otherwise there wouldn't be so many soap opera. But if you like soap operas, prepare for some really stomach-turning scenes. As someone from the Netherlands beautifully put it – it's war porn at its highest. I first heard of the movie from a newspaper story about some Serbian gangsters threatening the movie director – Angelina Jolie, if she comes to the premiere in Belgrade.

I said to myself, Oh my, what a treat, it must be a REALLY good movie if it made THEM angry. And, Oh my, what a terrible, horrible, heart-breaking miss. There are no 5 minutes in the movie without a major logical, artistic or documentation loophole.

After I saw this movie, I remembered two other movies I recently saw. One was "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider". I laughed like crazy at how outdated it was. And another one is "The Artist".

Why? Well, in this case, Angelina proved to be kind of like The Artist. Yes, we will continue to love her, how can we not? But she should remember that no matter how good a political message is for a movie, a bit of good taste is absolutely vital for a good movie.

And, well, she just didn't show any in this movie. Sorry, Angelina. You're still no Clint Eastwood. Maybe some other day, after you shoot some 20 more thousands zombies, aliens, Russians and so on.

I could go on for pages like this. But, in conclusion, only one more vital thing for understanding why my grade is so low compared to the movie's budget.

What beautiful two main characters actors Angelina had! And what an incredible mess. How limited was the connection between them!

One point. One extra point for just having Angelina trying to make a point and investing such a huge effort in it. It really makes my heart melt. (At least she tried to make a point, unlike so many directors recently.) One extra point for choosing so many actors from the countries in the region the story actually takes place in. It's really admirable, as well as the fact that she tried to film it in Serbia.

Also, I liked the fact that the main character actors are, coincidentally or not, really Serbian Orthodox and Muslim, exactly like in the movie. It is almost like a reconciliation message in the PR story.

Finally, I really liked the fact that the movie was filmed in the local languages as well. Wow, what a beautiful… beautiful gesture.

The Brothers Bloom (2008)

It starts great, and then... It hits you. This actually is corny and really, really bad.

[5/10 · 2 October 2009]

The beginning of the movie was stunning. We laughed, we admired the incredibly clever and original postmodern intrigue, basically, we were so incredibly eager to see the story get going and develop into a beautiful show of wit and twists. God, oh, God, what a disappointment followed! I have never written a comment here, because in each and every movie, regardless of how bad it was, I realized there was something that might appeal to a certain number of viewers, so, hey, who am I to say? But with The Brothers Bloom there is such a crappy trap, that I cannot just sit and do nothing, as other hundreds of people are misled into watching it by the great cast and the amazing plot! It's boring as hell, if you take apart the ever changing locations. But even the locations are cheap and unbearably corny, unless you're in love with Europe and have never been out of the US or Japan, the characters are shallow and have no real personality... Basically, it all resumes to a horrible script. I know nothing of the director and writer of the movie, I read he's a cool guy. But honestly, he should find a professional script writer, cause he sure as hell has no idea about a dialog. Of course, there are also some good things, cause otherwise there wouldn't be so many people writing how the movie is the best - nice humor, every now and then, but never from dialog, which is really sad, and the amazing Rachel Weisz, she could act perfectly in the worst movie, I start to think. In conclusion, if you are in for a Saturday flick and don't mind pretentious screenplays that, ultimately, are very kitsch, go for it. If you expect to see an amazing adventure/romance movie with a clever plot, you'll regret every moment after minute 20 of the movie.