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Reviews
Tirza (2010)
Funeral procession for Jörgen Hofmeester
The thematics of "Tirza" revolve around the principle of the 'dead white man'. The typical man who seems denied to the elite of living men: this is Jörgen Hofmeester. He is an insignificant, almost banal man whose world further collapses when his favorite daughter, Tirza, graduates and leaves with her Morrocan boyfriend for Namibia. Upon not hearing a word from her after the goodbye, he decides to travel after her to Windhoek.
What follows is an enormous quest for significance, for his daughter and for a center for misguided human beings like himself, on which he encounters only more disappointment, insignificance and errancy. Based on a novel by Anton Grunberg, this movie is highly literary and philosophical in non-aesthetic and non-sentimental ways. From the bitterness of a 9-year-old child prostitute to the coherence of his lives in both the Netherlands and Namibia; everything is masterfully dissected and analyzed from an absolutely merciless point of view.
No heroes here, no villains, because the only villain, as we know, is the human psyche. Grunberg, as well as screenwriter/director Van den Berg, clearly knows how to make surrealism realistic and symbolism natural. This is a completely disoriented movie and after seeing it, it will be difficult to know where the toilets of the cinema are.
As for the cinematography: it is splendid. Cold colors make even the sunlit Namibia look sinister and the quite contrasted colors give the film an extra dimension: not only its visuals are contrasted, but so are its characters. Subtle references to The Shining, Paris;Texas and many other films must be noted.
The performances are engaging and often quite funny: Sylvia Hoeks playing a girl 9 years her minor is the light-bulb in all this and you can sympathize with this sympathetic yet unsure girl. She may be the only thing which is significant in this story. It's understandable that Jörgens feelings for her surpass fatherhood.
Wozzeck (1987)
Beyond brilliant
Wozzeck is philosophy. It was just that as a play by Büchner, and it's even better when scored by Alban Berg, one of the greatest 20th century composers. The thing that lifts Berg above his teacher, Schönberg and his fellow pupil Webern is the true emotion he is able to bring to his scores. In my opinion, Wozzeck is among the most brilliant opera's ever written.
'Wozzeck' follows a thirty-something soldier named Wo(y)zzeck (deftly performed by Grundheber), who is, at the beginning of the piece, not yet a discarded member of society, but as his wife, Marie, cheats on him, his family is beyond poorness and both his army superior and a psychotic doctor who uses him as a guinea pig terrorize his life, he easily becomes one. Wozzeck is a hard-working and loving husband and father, but can't cope with the dark side humanity seems to make him carry all on his own. This ultimately makes him brutally kill his wife during a walk to the city, in his situation, he couldn't do else. At this point, Wozzeck has turned from a normal man to a dangerous madman. He arrives at an inn, where he's persuited for murder, before he goes back to the murder scene, totally confused about the death of his wife, his guilt and the wish not to be prosecuted. He drowns himself in one of the most intense scenes ever seen in musical theater. The ultimate ending, with Marie's son and his friends playing around, is beyond eerie.
The music, one needs to know before visiting or seeing the opera is composed nearly apart from the acting and text. The first act consists of 5 character pieces, the second is a 5 movement symphony and the third is a set of 5 inventions. These acts are only coherent within themselves. The character pieces match closely, as the symphony does (it's really formed like a symphony), the inventions are also equally formed. The brilliantness of this opera is that it's not bound to a certain technique, just to Berg's style; some parts are tonal, some freely atonal, some dodecaphonic, which makes the whole even greater than the sum of its parts.
Wozzeck, especially in this brilliant interpretation, with the most amazing cast, the most eerie staging and expressionistic figures I have ever seen, with Claudio Abbaddo, one of the best conductors ever, holding the baton, this performance is disturbing, eerie and even frightening at times (it reminded me of the DVD of the original staging of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). This people, is an example of greatness in more than a nutshell. It's greatness in a mango.
Halloween (2007)
It's a sin! I should've felt sick...
And yes... it really is a sin. It is a sin to remake John Carpenter's masterpiece of horror, which was as scary back then as it is today. Firstly, let's analyze why the 1978 original Halloween was such a masterpiece. Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. Hill managed to write a horror flick with a villain so evil that he (if we can refer to it as him) did not have any reason nor ratio, and he needed neither of them. Something like The Shape (a.k.a. Michael Myers) is like the Charlie Chaplin of horror. Its pale mask, its pointy hair, its workman's outfit... It is a force of unimaginable evil, as one can say that every human being has certain ethics. No, the shape has none. Mr. Carpenter's camera-work was one of the best ever seen in horror cinema (along with its none-slasher counterpart, Kubrick's masterful 'The Shining). He doesn't need to show The Shape, he wants us to see what it sees. It makes you feel sick when you jump to the conclusion that you murdered Judith Myers. When he doesn't show us the events as seen by the killer, he is inventive enough to just introduce a shoulder, a shadow, a glimpse of evil, and we know that we're in some serious trouble. The challenging cinematography and the realistic script are even more ominous ("He's 87!" "He still can look" "Probably the only thing he can do"). The Shape in this movie is menacing and ominous, no big budget, but great effect.
Now, the 2007 re-imagining-re-make. The quite realistic dialogue has been replaced by hundreds of f-bombs, wannabe-drama and uninventiveness, as if it were obligatory in a modern day horror movie. The camera-work was replaced by gritty, ugly and direct camera, which removed practically every thread from the film. The brave but quite dull and square Laurie was replaced by an uninspired performance by Scout Taylor-Compton. The original Dr. Loomis, played by the great Donald Pleasence, was replaced by Malcom McDowell. Now, McDowell is a great actor, but only when playing a bad protagonist himself (i.e. A Clockwork Orange). Talking about bad protagonists, during the original Halloween franchise (which generally sucked, except Halloween, Halloween 2 and H20), Michael Myers became more of a protagonist, everyone came to see him killing people. This concept was further exploited in the remake, as Mr. Zombie seems to want us to pity Michael Myers, to give him a reason. It isn't his fault, but another abusive character's. Remember, Mr. Zombie, Michael Myers used to be an antagonist who killed and stalked people we even used to try to care about, we don't pity Myers, for he is a mindless evil force. Rob Zombie, by showing the childhood of the troubled Michael Myers, sucked all the energy out of the movie, whereas the original was almost shot in the time it actually took place (inside 2-3 hours somewhat, only a few shortcuts), while the new one takes place in about 16 years, which makes the remake not only unimaginative and ruined, but also dull.
It's a sin... (remember that, Mr. McDowell?)
1,8 for the cool sound of mr. Zombies name.
Mysterious Skin (2004)
World is wicked
I have recently watched this movie. I could not stop thinking about it. I couldn't sleep of it. It still haunts me, like what happened haunts the main characters. I can fully recognize myself in one of the main characters, and it's had a really great impact on me.
The cinematography, camera use, script and story of this film is stunning, quite challenging and really harsh and raw, especially scenes which go deep into the main theme of pedophilia are, at times, difficult to look at. Sometimes tragicomic, but mostly deeply serious, this movie is a real drama, and I can't think of a drama of more impact I've ever seen (Turkish Delight and A Clockwork Orange being two of the closest). But this is just excellent, just magnificent, exquisite, however, not everyone could actually look at it without being shocked. I am shocked as I never was before, it's a raw film, but it's raw enough to leave space to the emotions of the viewer. This is one of the most beautiful purposes a form of art can manage to do: not being too emotional to not leave space to the emotions of the viewer, but being daring enough to leave that space.
11/10
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)
Exciting and varying
Repo! The Genetic Opera.
The musical Repo! The Genetic Opera is mostly a great rock-musical, with sometimes offbeat, even alternative music, and sometimes blood-chilling songs. The movie varies just as much, but in the movie it's mostly a fight between good and bad scenes.
Repo! starts off promising, a comic-like storytelling and the haunting song 'Genetic Repo Man'. Following this, we have a short depiction of the most absurd and cruel family in the world: the Largos, who set up a concern of artificial genetics (Geneco) and, though saving the world, caused hundreds of millions of people debts, only to be paid by repossessing their organs. We also get some glimpses at Shilo, the protagonist, who has a blood disease, who's just having her first encounter with the outside world, and Graverobber, making this encounter a trauma to her. Her father, Nathan Wallace, a repo man for Geneco, who claims to Shilo he's a doctor, convinces her it's all a dream As the story progresses, we also come by the characters of Blind Mag, Geneco's voice, and considered the greatest singer of that time and Amber Sweet, Largo's zydrate (a futuristic drug) and surgery addicted daughter, who is working on taking over Meg's place once she leaves Geneco. We also learn there is a certain thing Mag, Largo and Nathan are bounded with.
There are some really good scenes, to name a few, the opening with Genetic Repo Man is a very haunting and atmospheric scene, Legal Assassain is also a very passionate scene, where Anthony Stewart Head gets the best out of himself and his vocal chords. Other good scenes include the preparation for the Genetic Opera, Night Surgeon, Chase the Morning, At the Opera Tonight, Chromaggia (really thrilling every single time you see it, so lugubrious, yet so beautiful), Let the Monster Rise, and the thrilling final scene between Nathan and Shilo, and Shilo's conclusion.
Scenes that really do the movie no good are 'Mark It Up', in which to many foolish sound effects and over-the-top body movements were found. Genterns, in which the over-the-top faux-sexualité and almost embarrassingly lesbian-pornographic depiction of the helpers of Pavi and Luigi. Bloodbath! is a scene of unnecessary narrating, which makes everything more predictable and prevent the audience from thinking themselves. We Started this Opera Sh*t! is again very bad for the Genterns who have again an embarrassing, erotic encounter live on stage complete with panting and thrusting. Epitaph is another bad over-the-top moralizing, narrative style, they'd do a better job transforming the epilogue into such a song, that would make things clear enough.
In general, the good scenes are in the majority, and for the artistic side of this movie, and the good music, I tend to give it a 7,5/10.
Psycho (1960)
Screech!
Hitchcock is clearly the master of thrillers. This masterpiece shows the cooperation of thrills, a schizophrenic psycho and good dialog better than any other film.
Some of the most iconic scenes are in this movie: the shower scene and the basement scene, to mention two of them. No movie has been aped so much as psycho, peering through a hole, hid behind a painting, shadows of the murderer looming up behind you, delightful plot twists, and yet such a great style.
Camera's vanishing in the eye of a murdered woman, atmospherically depicted murder, the music, just, everything's great about this film. The final scene has been spooking in my mind for times, and, if you see this movie, you'll know why.
10/10
South Park: Imaginationland (2008)
Imaginative
This is absolutely the best direct-to-video film ever made. It's a piece of violent irony, humor, satire, craziness, pointlessness and yet so right to the point. Matt and Trey succeed themselves in this visual masterpiece.
Since season 1, South Park's visuals have improved themselves, and now they are to the best South Park ever: a trilogy/movie with the satire David Zucker still had in the first 'Scary Movie', the satire of Tim Burton's 'Mars Attacks!', a certain complexness and a humor that's just so... absurd.
10/10
Vincent (1982)
Stunning Burton masterpiece!
This movie, 'Vincent' is about a boy whose name is Vincent Malloy, but who wants to be actor Vincent Price. It's Tim Burton's first released movie, which he's made in his Disney-time.
It's a stunning, special and beautiful masterpiece of short film, with the very, very, very good narrator Vincent Price, and some very funny images, as well as drama. It's a picture about how people have two different sides: the one they show to the world, and the one they hide inside. It's just stunning.
Tim Burton has always been my favorite director, and this debut does honor to that title.
9/10
Frankenweenie (1984)
Not as good as 'Vincent' but still a very pleasant short
After 'Vincent' Tim Burton made the short 'Frankenweenie', a spoof of, as well as a homage to the movie Frankenstein. The short is about a boy and his pet dog, who's run over by a car. The boy then tries to bring his dog back to life.
After this movie, Tim Burton was fired from Disney, for 'wasting studio efforts on a mg-6 movie'. Was it a waste? No. Was it good they fired him? Yes. Otherwise we'd be watching 'The Fox and the Hound' drawn by him, instead of the masterpieces like Sweeney Todd and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory he makes today.
This short is not as good as 'Vincent', but is still very much fun to watch, the story lines and environment incline towards Edward Scissorhands, and Shelley DuVall is very good as mother Frankenstein.
8/10
The Dark Knight (2008)
Overrated, but still good
I think this movie is overrated. The plot lines are not that special, Christian Bale is a lousy actor and it lacks in atmosphere. My favorite is still Batman Returns by Tim Burton, it's so much more innovative. This is a bit boring, at some points, but still it's good. Why? Because of Heath Ledger, of course, he's the one who saves the movie for just being boring and irritating, and that because his Joker is so rotten, so mean, that it's wonderful. Jack Nicholson was also wonderful, but he interpreted it in another way, which, I think, was also very good.
I don't like the Harvey Dent actor, he's much too slick, and his lines are a bit cliché and predictable.
I kinda like the direction, though the art direction lacks in originality. Seeing the Tim Burton movies, it's so much more dark, and Gotham is really a pool of criminals and mafia, here, it's an uninspiring American Washington-like city.
Good nonetheless. 7/10
Beetlejuice (1988)
Horror? Are you joking?
Some people regard Beetle Juice as a horror movie. This is actually not true -- it would be true if Wes Craven directed it, as planned -- but it isn't.
Burton, Rider and Keaton proof immediately to be a great team, and the jokes, especially the handbook for the recently deceased-gag. The personalities, art direction and music are great, and fit exactly in the movie. It gives a very original view to what happens in the afterlife, and it contains very original material, and very original stuff.
I give it a 9/10.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
A bit corny, yet very great
Pee Wee's Big Adventure was the first feature-length cinematic movie of my favorite director Tim Burton. It's about the man-child Pee-Wee who must find his bike back.
It is one of Tim Burton's lighter movies and it's very witty and has a very interesting screenplay. Every joke is worked out very well and everything's told so that it's easy to understand. Most of the scenes are hilarious, and even a quick reference to Nosferatu is made. Paul Reubens is a very good actor in this movie, and the witty music contributes a lot to the overall, very childish, yet witty, atmosphere. Some of the special effects are very good as B-movie references, and things like the fortuneteller are just really funny.
Some jokes are cliché or just too weird, but in the context they can be very funny.
I give it a 8/10.
Scream (1996)
Do you like scary movies?
Scream is the best horror of the 90's, absolutely. It's a great, on purpose predictable movie with great actors. It's really a typical slasher movie, with a typical psychopatic killer and typical teen victims. The differences made between other slashers, like "I Know what you did Last Summer", "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Friday the 13th", "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and all their sequels, is that the victims KNOW what they must do to survive a horror, they KNOW what they mustn't do/say/feel, but even THEN get slaughtered.
I think this movie is both a great comedy and horror, it's not a horror which gives you nightmares, but it shocks you out of your chair sometimes. I give it 10 stars for the comedy and 10 for the horror!
El orfanato (2007)
Orphanated Prodigy
I love the movie, I'm scared and I'm touched.
At the beginning of the movie I thought: this is going to be a kind of good horror movie, better than either the Grudge or The Ring, but what I saw was... Fantastic! I've never seen such a good movie. The beginning was like a beautiful drama, and I thought: "Huh, wasn't this supposed to be a horror movie?" But when the movie continued, I wasn't realizing anymore that I was watching to a movie: I was there, and I was very scared. The movie made me even cry at the ending, and though it's not a very 'scary' movie with shocks and the like, but a thrilling movie, with recurring effects. It doesn't need blood, special effects etc. And I must confess: at the ending the film made me cry that the tears rolled over my cheeks, I have never been that moved by a movie.