manossg Reviews

Last Tango in Paris (1972)

Not bad...

[6/10 · 15 May 2010]

I think that Bertolucci is a mediocre director, so this movie somewhat exceeded my expectations.

It had a very nice cinematography (Vittorio Storaro did a superb job), a good flow and a very appropriate soundtrack (I would like to know what music A. Piazzolla would compose for this). I liked the erotic tension between the protagonists and I think that it was filmed very well.

On the other side, Marlon Brando's acting is second-rate and Schneider's is almost decent. The dialogue was sometimes very nice, but sometimes it was just funny and non-convincing.

Watch it if you like art films with an erotic element.

Same Old Song (1997)

Shallow

[2/10 · 11 May 2010]

Shallow is the word that best describes this movie. One has to suffer through 2-hours of light entertainment, in which one is supposed to find depth in semi-comical moments, with the actors lip-syncing to french-oldies.

Actually, depth is also supposed to be found in the neurotic nature of the seemingly in control characters. Well, it's supposed to be found there, as the characters are 2-dimensional, the plot is 2-bit and the movie is 1-hour too long.

I'm giving it 2/10 because of the songs which I liked a lot, because of some funny moments and because of some moments of nice cinematography.

Paris, Texas (1984)

Totally overrated

[3/10 · 14 April 2010]

I shall be very generous and give this overrated movie 3 stars.

I can't believe this movie won such awards.

The reason I do so is because of the superb cinematography by Robby Müller. That, some nice dialogue, the mirror-sex concept and the beauty of Nastassja Kinski somehow made this film not a (complete)waste of time.

The rest of the movie: mediocre acting, a childish plot, annoying and 2-dimensional characters, without anything symbolic and that awful scratchy guitar music...

Don't waste your time on this one.

L'Eclisse (1962)

Not that great

[5/10 · 6 April 2010]

Although I am a fan of Antonioni, l'eclisse was not the powerful movie l'avventura was.

Antonioni again deals with the subject of human alienation, boredom, nihilism and the lack of communication. The final scene is breathtaking. The stock market scenes are perfect. But, overall, the movie didn't do it for me.

A first reason was the acting. Vitti was even more annoying than usual, while Delon was bearable. A second reason was the flow of the movie. Antonioni chose to dwell on some scenes longer than necessary and chose not to dwell on the important ones. A third reason is that Fusco's (usually) excellent music is non-existent.

If you wish to watch Antonioni at his best, go with L'avventura.

Eureka (2000)

Japanese masterpiece

[9/10 · 6 April 2010]

Artistically speaking, this movie is excellent.

The b&w suits perfectly the film, the camera work and the cinematography are superb, the acting (especially Yakusho Koji's) is great...

The movie misses 10/10 because of: a. The duration. I don't have any problems with 3-4 hour films, but I believe Eureka could have expressed all that it was meant to express in 2 and a half hours tops. b. The soundtrack. Very amateurish compared to the rest of the movie. Silence/ambiance would have suited the film better. At least it is used very economically so that it doesn't get (very) annoying.

A must watch.

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

One of the best films of this decade

[10/10 · 6 April 2010]

When I first watched this movie, I was rendered speechless by the sheer perfection. I was desperately trying to find flaws in it, but failed. This movie is artistically perfect and that's it.

Every scene, even the scenes where Janos is just walking around town, is a masterpiece in its own right. The choreography of the camera and the use of shadows are pure genius.

Bela Tarr is a true poet of contemporary cinema, conjuring images of unparalleled somber beauty. For me, this movie ranks among my favorite movies of all time, along with the masterpieces of Angelopoulos, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa and Bergman.

Hungary teaches us how cinema should be made. The world had better listen carefully.

Ulysses' Gaze (1995)

Almost a masterpiece

[9/10 · 6 April 2010]

This is truly an enchanting film about self-exploration, by the great auteur Angelopoulos.

The movie is poetic, melancholic and lyrical (as expected from Angelopoulos), full of superb cinematography. The scenes at the start, the Lenin statue in the boat, the Sarajevo scenes (orchestra and mist scenes), the old lady left alone in the town square, the family celebrating the new year...are works of pure art themselves.

Can't believe it lost to Underground.

I am not giving it 10/10 because of the not up-to-par acting of Keitel and Karaindrou always regurgitating the same piece of melodramatic music again and again throughout Angelopoulos' films.

The Night Porter (1974)

Worthless

[2/10 · 6 April 2010]

Watched this movie yesterday. I was expecting to see a dark, artistic movie with strong S/m elements.

Instead, I wasted almost 2 hours of my life suffering through mediocre acting, nonsense dialogues and a childish plot.

The 2-bit S/m elements are some slapping, some shouting, chaining the woman to the bed and some Nazi camp humiliation flashbacks. But, for most of the movie, the lovers act like drunken sugary-pumpkin-lovey idiots. Completely lame.

I give this 2/10 because of some nice takes of Vienna and the dancer and opera scenes which were very worthwhile, but not enough to save the rest of this awful movie.

Don't watch this overrated piece of trash. Do yourself a favor and watch Haneke's 'La pianiste' or Sun-Woo Jang's 'Gojitmal', instead.