27/02/2015 new movies short reviews by Natasha and Alex
X + Y NEW (media preview - Ned and Co and Pinnacle Films) website RATE: 10/10
this is an incredibly well crafted masterpiece, a gem you should not miss... I love first of all because it was about maths, relationship and choices. It is genuine and truthful to every single moment of it.
Starring Asa Butterfield as Nathan the movie shows the challenges of a kid who is a genius (and his family) goes through and the lessons learnt on the way. It is running the parallel stories on Nathan born with autism but gifted child with his life stirring events and his mum Julie (Sally Hawkings), caring and cooping, struggling and supporting and everything else mums are...
That must not be a long story for me to share with our readers as this one in particular IS "to watch yourself" movie. All the actors are selected with such attention that they all plat as a light striking unit so breathless and so effortlessly I believed till the end of the movie that the main character played himself.
The movie portraits the Asian (Chinese) family values (which are so close to Russian family expectations, unwanted sacrifices and unbearable demands - some episodes made me burst into tears) as very often the countries bring up emotionally broken children that project the same nonsense on their own kids sometimes breaking their lives forever. No, we were not forced to participate in International Maths Olympics but studying at Moscow Uni with its internal and strict rules was enough for many pupils to go mad literally before the exams.
It is a very significant episode when Nathan is asked in front of the class in Taiwan, the class that is preparing its students to the upcoming Maths Olimpiade. he is excellent in solving problems finding the graceful solutions - it is "0" or "1" the solution is true meaning beautiful, in harmony with the Universe, but the real life is not about "0"s and "1"a - it can be about 2-s and 11-s and even X-s and Y-s.
Would he be able he solve the real life situation? Has not he been challenged enough in anything else? Is there a place for someone between the formulas and the +/:/ signs? How do they change our lives?..
People who love us yes , they add value to US living as their love adds and brings us up... When they gone so their love get subtracted from US, making us smaller in value... like in maths... x+y or x-y...
...and where is the place for evil and envy in this formulas?...
Adding to the movie some funny moments, great sound track and fabulous director's work = MASTERPIECE!
THE LIST OF MY DESIRES NEW - ALIANCE FRANCAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 LA LISTE DE MES ENVIES website RATE: 6.5/10
this is quite an unusual movie as we realised it was something we did not expect at all from the movie about winning a 18 mln euros lottery ticket. It was not an ordinary French comedy nor it was a drama , none of this... Alex even said it was a movie of some new genre. The plot has so many unexpected turns that at the end you would not know what will happen next. Will the money change the person who get them Will they change the people around her? May be they will change the whole family... We all think that the money will makes us happy but this is not true - they will change you for sure but you do not know in what way... You may loose so much you will never want them or you may gain...but certain,y your happiness will not be measured in the amount nor it will be equal to this figure... What would you do if you won the lottery? Woul dyou tell your friends and your family?...
Thank you for the chance to review the DVD’s The Hobbit, the Battle of the Five Armies.
To anyone who is a Lord of the Rings fan you will not be disappointed by this third DVD (the last of a Trilogy). Set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings it tells the story in its usual convoluted way that escapes me to try and explain. Let me just say I was as entranced as I was watching The Lord of the Rings. I will not spoil the story line for you but rest assured I know that you will love this DVD.
I love getting lost in the world of these movies. Time stands still when I watched each video. I was so engrossed in the storyline I felt I was walking amongst the Dwarves, Elves and Men, in their battles and everyday lives.
The special features of seeing how each army was conceived and realised is awesome. It is amazing to think that the whole series of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings took a total of 17 years to bring to the screen. They are like an aged wine, definitely well worth the wait to watch.
Storyline, screenplay, soundtrack and acting are all first class.
A gift the whole family would certainly enjoy watching together, even if they have never seen Lord of the Rings.
what a perfect depicturing of French Canada - I have never realised that French can also be Americans: and I mean the language, the manners and the outfits... If we picture the above mentioned as a landscape, the surroundings, then is it easier to imagine what love is in such environment?
It is the love of a stranger, the love of a neighbour, a mother, a son and a friend... It is quite challenging to watch it though: every instant you question yourself - have I loved my own children enough, have I given them all they deserve?
You will find some of the characters in this movie behaving so unpredictable and crazy, and not as they are... Craziness is on the boundary of the reality we know and we all have different boundaries. If you remember The Flight Over The Cuckoo's Nest - it is just a different world where people do not realise and follow some socially acceptable rules and where fun can be as dangerous as playing with death. The society rules though can be cruel when you hear: "your son is not yours anymore as you signed the papers..." and whom do you call crazy now? As a matter of fact you can not understand who is more mental in this movie and who is more challenged by their relative behaviour: the mother or the son... People are either afraid of them, laugh at them or they love and adore them and share their fun.
It is crazy to watch the family story enveloping in front of your eyes: they scream at each other, the glasses and bottles get broken, the heads get smashed with heavy items, there is blood from injuries and from open veins, there is smoke and alcohol, your head starts to spin as the stress is building up... It can be released only one way as the nature can not stand such motion: sometimes there is more freedom in death and in is in life...
The camera work is incredible: you do not watch the movie - there are just glimpses of life - the rest - you have to think and guess... The actors are amazing! Soundtrack - so suitable and so fabulous! One is better than the other and I can not praise them enough!
One small hiccup: at one stage I just realised I want this very well filmed madness to end soon... I could not take it anymore no matter how well done emotionally it was...
THE DAY HOLLYWOOD DIED NEW website DVD - kind courtesy of the Rising Pictures review by Alice Slamani RATE: 6/10
The Day Hollywood Died is sure to be a Cult Classic. The soundtrack really had me mesmerised and asking me for more. At first, I had a difficult time getting my head around the plot. But as I continued through the film, I developed a love for each of the characters, cheered for them and laughed to the dark humour. With a bit of google research, I was blown away with the background information about production. It really is hard to believe that this movie is by first time director Ronnie S. Riskalla. His vision for this movie appears to be complex and has been executed in 9 days with a budget of $5,000. I was quite impressed with the character development through the movie and it was interesting how each character had a distinct accent. Albeit a little confusing initially, but by the end of the movie it was unnoticeable as the accents just blended in with the character development. If you love the dark, thriller cult movie genre, then this is not just a must watch, this is a movie to add to your home collection.
DIVERGENT SERIES: INSURGENT NEW website media preview - kind courtesy of eOne ANZ RATE: 7.5/10
This is one of the best action movie for young people done since DIVERGENT 1 and probably Matrix. The major cast plays sensationally well. You can not take your eyes of the screen for the whole movie full of breathtaking digital graphics and special effects any computer gamer can only dream about.
Some interesting aspects of social consciousness and social evolution are the major part of the plot and its ideas.
It is a good really movie from the point of entertainment but would not suit a complicated taste viewer who does not like highly sophisticated computer games. Such critics would find even some downfalls like a bit naive emotions and rather banal sentimental scenes. The idea that is much stronger than it seems prevails: the outrageous society individuums are in reality the salvation of the society that works like a precise clock (that need a bit of a shaking from time to time), they are not a problem - they are a solution, they are the bricks the newborn generation will feed their ideas from.... Generally speaking we loved the movie very much.
If you still eat candy, sweets, cream, white breads and sugar cakes, soft drinks, chocolate, just pure sugar (any kind: white, brown or raw) this movie is not for you. You should continue doing what you did before... as most likely this is what your parents taught you to do and your parents are always right - no questions!.. :) Eat and watch your physical body de-composting with years... You will need another life time to understand and to wake up!
But if you (by any chance) were convinced some years ago that fats are bad for you and you should stick to a strict diet with no fat added, but only healthy things including breakfast cereals, your sweetened yogurts, your snack bars, healthy protein shakes (plus all other this kinda crap that is advertised so much), sweetened sauces during lunch time plus your lovely processed food and some sweet drinks for dinner then maybe I would recommend this movie IS for you to watch - I highly recommend it as you will have a chance of changing to even better things in life...
That is so simple to figure out: if the food is advertised it should be GOOD, right? The companies who are doing it - they look after our health not after pure profit... RIGHT? Coca Cola included! Fruit juices - included! bottled teas - included! The list will go on and on... Yes, why would they advertise an apple? Or probably it is the wrong way round: one tasty apple does not need any advertising... (?) It is just there and the apple knows exactly what it brings into your blood stream. Do you know?
But if you are already figured it out for yourself: THE BEST FOOD IS THE ONE WHICH IS CLOSER TO THE SOURCE: nuts, legumes, all sorts of leafy greens, whole grains (not bread of course) and seeds, herbs and sprouts, berries of all kinds, onion families, cabbage families, fresh fruit and vegetables (preferably raw), meat (skin on please!) and animal organs...eggs, fish and fresh sea food / unprocessed sea products right from the ocean on your table - there is nothing else really but the colors and the varieties of such foods are endless... so if you already figured that out - it is a movie for you to reassure you - you are doing the right thing and you are on the right way... start showing it to your friends, not by words but by your actual food choices when you go out and when you are at home.... this is the only way to teach them. Start eating the whole avocado at work and have a look how your co-workers will react - they might think you are crazy. Add flowers to your diet and they will place you in a loony bin... They probably still think that sushi is a healthy food...
Do I need to comment? Well, yes, it is not your ordinary boring movie about nutrition : it is witty as we laugh at ourselves mainly... To make it even more sarcastic: I forgot about middle part of the supermarkets a long time ago and in many months that same day we watched the movie we decided to buy one bottle of Mountain Due - I do not know why... probably we were thirsty and it looked green. But we threw it out of course right after this movie... add to this our friends just ate very sweet meal at San Churos before the picture: hot chocolate, thick chocolate and Spanish donuts - san churos themselves... I think our friends were close to throw up at the end film...
...and I liked Freddie Mercury at the end :) Watch it PLEASE! and "Thank you for choosing '40 Teaspoons Of White' over '50 Shades of Grey'" in advance :) BOOK TICKETS
THE NUT JOB NEW website RATE: 5/10 review by Julie Dargan
Hi N, thank you for the opportunity to review of the movie The Nut Job. A bit of trivia on this movie is that it was made with a budget of $42.8 million, making it the most expensive animated film c0-produced in South Korea. While I enjoyed watching this movie with my son, I had trouble finding how could one movie cost so much.
I enjoyed the storyline. I had some trouble working out which animal was the hero and which was the baddie but I often have trouble with that with real life actors!. The voice over lacked something for me. Usually when I watch an animated movie I get engrossed in the movie that I get caught up and think the animals are real, but not in this movie. Liam Neeson and Katherine Heigl Did nothing for me and would be better off on the big screen.
Other than that I enjoyed the movie. I could see the correlation of fat cats in our society and who is it we can really trust. Perhaps I was looking too hard to the meaning behind the story? A happy ending as always and one I wondered how they would be able to create in a positive way.
My score 5/10 (not really into children’s movies but enjoyed watching with my son which is a big one for me)
HUMAN UNIVERSE (with Prof Brian Cox) NEW website RATE: 10/10 review by Julie Dargan
Hi Natasha. Thank you for the chance to review the series of The Human Universe. Presented by Professor Brian Cox this series was fascinating to watch. Titles such as Apeman Spaceman , Why are we Here, Are we alone , A place in space and time and What is our future? All had me intrigued.
This man so loves the universe and where we have come from and where are we going are some of the topics he loves to question us on. Subjects such as space travel , cosmos , black holes, and relativity are covered in an interesting manner. He had me captivated. I loved Prof Cox's simplistic yet very informative presentation. He so loves these subjects you could only be swept up in each subject he was covering.
Yet again my travel yearnings have been piqued from Petra to perhaps the Global Seed Vault with seeds from every country of the world should any country be wiped from the map! Proving Einstein and Newton theories and how space travel has been possible due to the discoveries by these two great minds.
A great series that the whole family will enjoy. Schools would do well to suggest these programs as part of homework studies. My children loved the presentation and learnt so much from the series.
GRAND DESIGNS AUSTRALIA S5 NEW website RATE: 6/10 review by Julie Dargan
Grand Designs Australia showcases some of Australia's most ingenious designs for those willing to take risks and bold decisions. I found myself drooling at the magnificent designs and how unique in many ways.
Would I want to create such designs? Not really. But I sure loved watching what other people have the ability to do and what willing to pay to do. If we all built within the safe framework of everyday mediocre what a boring world we would be living.
I enjoyed a glimpse is a life and home I would never be able to see in real life. Thank you to this series for bring it to my living room. And to think they are on Australian soil is fantastic.
THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY NEW website RATE: 9/10 review by Julie Dargan
With much thanks to Natasha of bohemian Rhapsody club for a review of the DVD Mockingjay Movie part 1. The family watched this together. Two of us have been following the story from previous movies , two of us had not. This did not matter. We were all enthralled with the movie following the lives of Catnis and her fellow 13 inhabitants.
The movie has you enthralled from beginning to end. A storyline that is not predictable at all. Fantastic.
Watching the DVD was great. There were parts I did not pick up in the movie theatre but did when watching the movie at home. Also , the DVD set has wonderful interviews with Lorde who wrote some of the soundtrack including the haunting Come to the Tree.
A great DVD set the whole family will enjoy whether you have seen previous Hunger Games films or not. If you have not you sure will be after watching this one.
GEMMA BOVERY - ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 NEW RATE: 9/10 website
Is it a drama? a comedy? a thriller? or may be all those in one perfect blend?.. full of aromas of fresh backed bread, French country side forests and Gemma Bovery's perfume - exactly like a real French movie should be... full of love, lust, jealousy, infidelity, suspicions, romance, affairs, provincial life, dreams, family life emptiness, and light and playful mood - exactly like French novels (and for that Flaubert's masterpiece) should... full of unsaid words, dark desires, untold mysteries and unfulfilled obsessions it is not exactly what you expect from a comedy and for the same reason - from the drama and possible murder (?) is the new girl in Rouen just another modern life spin of Madame Bovery? or the whole movie is just all happens in the dreams of an old baker in love?.. a good literature is usually judged by its unexpected ending - the ending of this movie is not plain , and definitely unexpected: the suicide becomes (in reality) - a murder not by one but by three people... Someone who played a passive role of an obsessive observer turns into quite an active actions facilitator! .. and no, not every art (literature) can become a reality... as Gemma says: "I am not her, I am me, myself.." There is a beginning of a new unpredicted story actually at the end... it is tragic but light, it is witty but ruinous... adding Fabrice Luchini and Gemma Arterton perfect work in my collection (not to mention the others' also quite spotless performances)... plus well matching music selection and sound engineering is a sensation!... it is not a perfect movie but it is extremely good! the atmosphere of a complete boredom in the country side with the conversations ,mainly rotation around cheeses, markets most of the time and family is reflected very well too... the movie finishes... Alex asks me: "do you know what was the most significant part of this gem (ma bovery)? the two adorable dogs playing with each other..." I also did not get his comment - was he joking or was it just something he niitced reflected in dogs' lives too as the characters develop?.. one more mystery for me... and for all of you who will watch this movie soon... it is UNMISSABLE!
LOVE IS STRANGE NEW RATE: 6/10 media preview - kind courtesy of Rialto Film Distribution website
Love is really strange... and you can not teach it. You can not teach something that you already ARE. Love is what is making you... and us... It is different from one person to another, it is different from one couple to another, it makes us cry with tears of joy, it breaks our hearts more often than it knits laces of pleasure, it is humble when it is real and it is tender and innocent when it is true.
The movie is like a visual piece of art: it surprises you, it is seemingly unfinished, un-pronounced and under-pronounced but it is still a piece of art.
It is full of beautiful classical music too..
As to my taste it was not "complete" so to speak... but if it was only thought through more carefully it would probably be a real and outstanding master piece...
It is still a good picture but I felt like I wanted much more of it... more art brush strikes so to speak and more colors...
"When you live with people you know them better than you care for.." ... should I say more? - John Lithgow (Ben) is coming up with sensational actor's performance in this film...
there are some interesting parallel story of love to observe: while gay couple (George and Ben) love each other and are forced to live separately Ben's nephew and his wife life next to each other and seem far apart than any physical distance can make you... or may be it is like this: the value of love is understood only when you loose it... (?)
on the funny note: ...and how can you watch Marisa Tomei without thinking about George Costanza? :) on the serious note: Marisa Tomei was acting stunningly well!
adding to that: NY city shoots were done to perfection!
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL NEW RATE: 7/10
The movie certainly serves the purpose: to entertain you and to make you laugh, to say more - you can not fail with such a great bunch of actors involved: mega-stars Maggie Smith, Judi Denc, Bill Nighy and Richard Gere. Add to this the fire of Dev Patel and Tina Desai and you will be on the top! the audience was very happy from what I could hear... I was also happy to see the "old friends" as we remember them from the first part of the movie. the second part is not worse to see if you are after some light fun and good uplifting and warm mood sensations... The addition of both Tamsin Grieg and Richard Gere love story was interesting but lacked strong feelings IMHO. I also loved the colors: bright shades of orange, yellow and red made the movie so exotic and so pleasant for the eyes any shades of grey would simply spoil it... I also think the movie will be very entertaining to watch by the older generation as it has lots of jokes to connect with this audience not that any other generation would not understand them either... But the movie is far from the perfect if you have the taste in good movies, but again: it serves the purpose of fun, loving and yes, "make it "exotic"... and ending the movie with some hot Indian dancing - what is a better way to end up any party!
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING NEW RATE: 8/10
I think that Eddie Redmayne's performance was the center of galaxy around which the celestial movie was rotating.. It was incredible beyond any of our expectations. If the plot did not have some smallish holes the movie would be 10/10 and the credits would still go to the main actor. His transformation is happening in front of our eyes, his eyes are so full of emotions and to expressive it is beyond any words of appraisal. I left the movie with the words: HE IS AN OSCAR winner and then in two days we hear about Eddie's award. Sensational work!
As to the plot like some of the parts seemed a bit made-up and far away from a reality but it is understandable that in such movies you should expect some private things not to be revealed as the real facts is no one else's business.
I was also astonished to observe the will power of the man who was struggling with his disease that was destroying his body; I was even more astonished to see the love and the will power of his wife supporting her husband with all her heart. We are not the ones to judge any personal choices made but I believe that the audience understands why they were made - it is so shown so clear... We could only judge if we were ourselves in such situation. What can we do? We can simply adore Stephen Hawking for what he did for humanity and for science.
The more we watched the more biography details got revealed to us: the most surprising was Stephen declining the knighthood. Heading to the end of my writing I have to worm many: bring your handkerchief as it is not only the life of Stephen that will bring you to tears but the high level performance of Eddie that will take you away...
SEX, LOVE AND THERAPY- ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL NEW TU VEUX OU TU VEUX PAS RATE: 6/10 website review by Rachel Sandey
France and Belgium production. The title of the film speaks of itself. This is a romantic comedy about all these things. The director is Tonie Marshall. There are two leading parts in the movie. Lambert is an ex sex addict, who after a course of treatment underwent a transformation and chose a new occupation, as couples relationship therapist. His role played by handsome Patrick Bruel. But he needs an assistant He is interviewing a few candidates for this position and eventually hiring Judith, a very attractive young woman with beautiful body and enormous libido. She is determined to seduce him and to add another victory to the long list of victims of her charm, but he appeared to be very firm in his decission not to have sex without deep feelings, which we call love. His resistance made her to fall in love with him. Her part is played by one of the most charming actresses Sophie Marcean. So, as you can guess, both our heros are falling in love in the end, and this is a very happy end. I'd say, that director and a cast created a sweet, witty, funny comedy, which is easy and pleasant to watch. I'd rate it 6/10.
THE LAST DIAMOND - ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL NEW LE DERNIER DIAMANT RATE: 8/10 website review by Julie Dargan
I loved this quirky, adorable movie. Simon is a thief on parole who accepts a rather large job of stealing the mythical diamond the “Florentin”. He endears himself to the one woman who can allow him to achieve this and that is Julia, a diamond expert. Of course throughout the movie I was waiting for the time he would turn and show compassion and fall in love with Julia but this is not a Hollywood movie. Instead the movie had me entranced from beginning to end with the many twists and turns, sprinkled with dry humour and a subtle yet very moving sound track. Do your self a favour and see this movie, immerse yourself with the characters and enjoy. By score 8/10
There is an interesting question raised in this documentary: should the forbidden nazi propaganda films be in open catalogues for everyone having equal opportunity to watch them at any time ... I have only one answer to that: may be historian and the psychologists can benefit from the positive answer to this question, but imagine there is a bottle with a poison: everyone drinks from it, but some people have good immune system so they do not even feel they were poisoned, the others are vaccinated, but there are still people who do not have any defense against it: such small group of people might be enough to get into power and start it all over again ... There is not way that bottle can be exposed to the public.,, But looking at this movie I have a strong feeling my opinion might be supported by minority of votes...
this movie absolutely blew my mind away... so good! 1. Mark Ruffalo - sorry I think I always underrated this brilliant actor! His performance in this movie playing such a complex character is absolutely , absolutely , absolutely naturally SENSATIONAL! Forget about the fact that he reminded me of my own dad with his eccentric personality, his: "tomorrow we go on holidays. I bought tickets, you have 2 hours to get your things together", with his "useful" things collecting all over places, books, books, books and well, thanks god he did not drink.. BUT coming back to Mark Ruffalo: applause! 2. it is your mo vie about parenting and family values. It is usual from one perspective as it reminds us about US, and it is unusual to the degree that IT IS TOO MUCH... but it is beautiful "too much" 3. the movie is excellent not for adults but for the kids as well: no sex scenes; some episodes are so funny ("this is Boston; they are practically expecting us" - the dad and two of his daughters go to see their never seen before relative uninvited - I feel under the chair laughing...) 3. father's childish behaviour - as sometimes kids do not hear you unless you start being THEM... (the episode with the pot thrown on the floor) 4. yes, the father is eccentric but he is a complete in his personality and he is amazing... It is 9/10 from me and 8/10 from Alex THANK YOU , Mark!
LEVIATHAN - NOMINATED BY BRC THE BEST MOVIE OF THE MONTH LEVIAFAN RATE: 10/10 website
I love excellent movies - you walk out of the theater knowing that you do not have to think what rate you should give this movie. It is unratable in some way... as everything is simple when it is genius... or was it wrong way round: "all genius is simple"
It might be simple and calm like an ocean before the grand storm but there is so much we did not understand, so many messages still got hidden from us the movie has to be watched not once but many times. It reminded me the Trakovski 's movies when in the first interaction with the movie you get the first level of it, and then: there are so many levels... each time you watch Tarkovski's movies again and again you get to the new magical level revealed to you ...
So all genius is not simple... ?
I have to confess I tried to prepare myself to this picture by watching countless number of reviews, interviews, reading the stories about and heard so many "yes"-es and "no"-s that I really did not know what to expect... The movie WAS unexpectable.
If one asked me to describe the movie in one word I would say: " IT IS A MIRROR" the movie of many mirrors and one humongous mirror. The mirrors many people will find themselves in, the largest one is the one Russia as a country is reflected in. The central and the most crucial point of the movie (after which you do not know what to expect - either the main hero will win his battle or he will loose everything): it is the episode when the main hero's wife, Lilia (Elena Lyadova) looks in the mirror: almost destroyed but still alive, like Russia itself... Lilia can not recongnise herself: is it what I have become? The female with dark circles under my eyes, not understanding what way to go, whom to give myself? Nothing and all is taken from her... This IS Russia. She is still beautiful but falling apart... the same way as everything falls apart after this small but very strong and significant episode... The loss is unavoidable now...
There are so many underground waters in this movie: I will give only one example that made me shiver, that made me feel so uncomfortable under my skin... The purest white and golden church is built on the place where many crimes took place - all deadly sins I would say from one way to another - it is a Golgotha of the the society's consciousness: the place where friends got betrayed, parents abandoned their children, children disrespected and spit on their parents, yes, dead sins took place too, cruelties and violence occurred and adultery thoughts got born... But who destroys and builds this pure white and golden gem? Anti-hero? Is he a really antihero? He cares for his family, donates large sums of money to the church and he is elected to the government that will look after its citizens' wealth and peace. Is he really a bad boy? Is he a real anti-hero? Yes, we all know he is disgustingly criminally bad - but did we see his other side? ....and take a look now at the main "hero" himself: is he that positive as the natural winner should be? He drinks like there is no tomorrow, he beats his wife, he neglects his only child, he is hot tempered and he can not care less for church (forget about the church - about his own soul), he simply destroying himself... Yes, we know he is also our HERO, but we can not take him all with all his sides... It is complicated but it is real: there is no good, no bad - it is all as it is: grey Leviathanian world... There is a Leviathan inside all of us. No one is God, but we are all God-like on the face of Earth... but is there truth? May be there is truth - but in God only? There is no truth inside any of us, no outside... Leviathan is a Biblical creature. It is a sea monster. In many reviews I saw they compare Leviathan with the state, with the government: the image of evil power. This is not the exact truth. The creature is shown in the movie many times: swimming free before the horrible death /murderer of Lilia, then you see the monster's (whale's) empty skeleton on the beach. It is dry and the bones are white as the sun burnt them... It is dead as the truth.... Leviathan's remaining, it's skeleton is a symbol of TRUTH. The truth is emptied out like a cup that was full of fragrant wine before and that was left in the desert neglected... Has the evil became our truth, is it your truth now? "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope?When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. Nothing on earth is his equal—a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud." He is called the "wriggling serpent" who will be killed at the end of time.... Leviathan is also a gatekeeper to hell. But let's get back from the Bible to the movie. One of the significant details in the movie is SOCIETY, but not an overall as we understand it but the communities that support each other and that can not exist without each other: the main hero and the cops plus the main hero's lawyer and his wife on one side and the major of the town and "his" community": the judge, the head of the police, his criminal friends, the priest and the prosecutor. the can not live without each other so strong are these bonds... No can manage our main hero with out his supporters: as they leave him one by one he is left with no power to defend himself. There are many other less significant "connections" and "communities" in the movie that can be observed separately too.
It s pointless to mention actors' great performance and director's master brush... ANDREI, AUSTRALIAN RUSSIANS LOVE YOU!
There is one and IMHO quite significant note: "lost in translation": Russian slang, some expressions that are hard to translate and that were translated literally. But I believe it would be hard to do a precise translation to such picture: there are also modern expressions that only people who lived in Russia in 90-s would understand... The 5% of the subtitles are lost but overall the translation was quite good: English language speaking critics laughed at the right moments.
There are also some funny moments that can not be unmentioned... vodka drinking episodes; the episode with the ex-Russian leaders portraits... and many more... and yes, when someone says to you this is an anti-Putin movie do not believe them - IT IS NOT! This is a movie about the system and how it worked and probably still works or does not work... but it is definitely not an anti-Putin movie! The movie is about YOU, that is why everyone was so scared about it, that is why everyone discussed it so loudly. It is as I said before about the monsters inside each of us...
If you hear a comment that the movie is nothing but a set of beautiful nature pictures with a nonsense in between - do not believe this story teller either: the envy talks when they say this... The movie makes perfect sense and is watched in one breath... The nature scenes are natural - there are no insignificant comments, no unneeded episodes.., all the words, each and every small detail have theirs own power and carry the immense weight, It is all shown at the right and precise time and the required moment... Again: we love you, Andrei!
But it is definitely a very powerful film. The one to watch not once as I said but several times so all the mysteries get revealed to you slowly, the hidden messages and the truth - it will finally get surfaced from the depths of the ocean... You will face your Leviathan.
ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 - THE CONNECTION LA FRENCH RATE: 9/10 website review by Julie Dargan This movie is based on a true story. It takes a different focus from the American movie “The French Connection” with the emphasis on the French point of view.
Jean Dujardin plays a relentlessly dedicated magistrate, Pierre Michel, as is set in Marseille, 1975. Gaetan Zampa (Gilles Lellouche) plays the mafia boss.
The movie shows how a ruthless international drug syndicate was stopped in its tracks.
I loved watching this movie from the director’s perspective. Directed by Cédric Jimenez, you can see the authenticity of one who grew up in Marseille during this turbulent time.
To see Marsaille during the 1970’s, the fashion, the bars, the lifestyle. A time of no mobile phones, the mafia control, the music..oh the music. I loved the sound track for this movie. The movie simply flowed. Not just the storyline, but the screen presence, the actors, the breath taking scenery, the haunting music, the tragic tale of lives lost.
A must see. Although rather long, just over 2 hours, it is well worth it. My score 9/10
For fans of the type of epic mob movies Martin Scorsese used to make, with plenty of action and a killer soundtrack, this exciting chapter in the story of organised crime is not to be missed.
ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 - THE NEW GIRLFRIEND UNE NOUVELLE AMIE RATE: 6/10 website
I suppose that will be a movie to disturb you if you are not open-minded enough to comprehend what is going on on the screen. You might even be shocked, confused, revolted, but you will not remain emotionally ignorant to the people trying to find their true identity though unusual things, people who are trying to overcome grief in the strangest form of expressing it into this physical world. I gave this movie 7 out of 10. I guess Alex did not see the point of showing something like this at all so he stopped at 5.
My strong point is love have so many faces and masks only people who are falling in it can say if it was genuine or not... We are not here to judge if we d not those who ARE falling in that particular LOVE. The movie might not be a genius picture but it certainly is interesting to follow this deep psychological drama: add to this a splendid performance of Romain Durisas David (a man) and Virginia )a woman) and how he brilliantly and easily transforms himself from one to another character... 10 points only for this!
PROJECT ALMANAC RATE: 7/10
This is not your ordinary time travelling movie: it is a time travelling with the twist and with a strong message behind it WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN YOUR PAST IF YOU COULD TIMETRAVEL? It is very interesting to watch as the plot is dynamic and has unexpected turns and surprises. I also believe that the movie will be perfect for the teenagers. There are some inconsistencies though: 1. the guys who can now time travel are interested in lottery winning, pud parties, nice gadgets, in Ferrari and in popular rock concerts? is it a joke? where did you see nerds like this? they are into high level engineering and they are at college? hm.... at least the smart guys in my class were after books and new research projects... not girls, fake values and cars... 2. the time travelling sometimes looks messy ideas-wise (the camera is amazing BTW: floating objects is very hard to film!!!) . when I say ideas-wise I mean sometimes they remember what happened in the time between "past location" and "now" sometimes they do not, sometimes reality changes, sometimes not... people disappear... why? 3. the idea of butterfly effect is not new. it is shown from another perspective though multiple traveling, but how would it e possible at the end when they destroy the source for two video cameras with the footage appeared at the same place and time... it is a bit messy IMHO... or probably I did not comprehend the ending quite right. 4. building a time machine with the draft design??? doubting such thing... 5. stories that we want to believe - fail, fail, fail... did not believe much... more like a fairy tale a smart teenager would not buy... I'd rather believe in Harry Potter... although I must say: there is no magic in this movie - time travelling is so well engineered and technical it is almost real. 6. are they travelling time or space too as I believe they also travel from city to city...? 7. sometimes the first version meets the second version of them sometimes not (what?) example: periodic table of elements at school - exam that one of the guys keeps failing... 8. would you rather save your dad than kiss the bimbo girl????
The camera. Dizzy... Interesting but very dizzy... Got tired... yes.
NATIONAL THEATER LONDON LIVE: TREASURE ISLAND tickets - kind courtesy of Cinema Nova review - by Brenton Foale
"The show was amazing, funny, exciting. The sets were incredible and clever. The cast were awesome..."
Treasure Island was an amazing, highly entertaining experience. Watching it on the cinema screen one had the sensation that I was in the front row of the Olivier Theatre. The set construction was incredible. The costumes were superb. The adaptation from book to stage was an incredible achievement. Treasure Island was a fantastic journey with thrills, excitement and a wonderful mix of humour which would entertain audiences of all ages.
PART OF JIFF An Incredible Journey Beckons… 2015 HOLOCAUST FILM SERIES ANNOUNCED
In recognition of an overwhelmingly positive response to its inaugural season, the HOLOCAUST FILM SERIES, presented by JIFF, returns to Melbourne and Sydney from 12 to 25 March.
But despite the austere title of this film series, the journey that we invite audiences to embark upon is not grim, but one of courage, fascination and admiration for the people who have lived through some of modern history’s most challenging events. For it is only by facing the past and learning from their experiences, that we can continue to develop and appreciate the gift of life, whilst striving to banish the racial prejudice that still continues to motivate so many crimes.
The 2015 HOLOCAUST FILM SERIES is therefore proud to present 35 utterly compelling feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the world, all of which will be screening for the very first time in Australia, with no guarantee of repeat viewings beyond this film series. The eclectic range of stories showcased will enthrall, inform and give pause for reflection.
And although one might think that the cinematic potential of the Holocaust has been exhausted over the last seventy years, nothing could be further from the truth. Tales of incredible human resilience and lasting impact, continue to emerge and through this event we are honoured to showcase a relatively small, but vital selection of stories and incidents that illuminate a period of history that brought forth the very best and worst of mankind, with repercussions that still echo.
Highlights of the 2015 HOLOCAUST FILM SERIES include:
Forbidden Films GERMANY / 2014 / DOCUMENTARY / 94 MIN 1,200 feature films were made in Germany’s Third Reich. According to experts, some 100 of these were blatant propaganda. More than 40 remain – nearly seventy years after the end of the Nazi regime – under lock and key. This is their story.
Farewell Herr Schwartz GERMANY, ISRAEL / 2013 / DOCUMENTARY / 96 MIN Michla and her brother Feiv’ke were inseparable before the Holocaust. Upon learning of Feiv’ke’s death, Michla moves, in grief, to the new state of Israel. The filmmaker, Michla’s granddaughter, investigates what really happened to her grandmother’s beloved brother. *Winner Best Documentary – Haifa IFF.
To Life FRANCE / 2013 / FEATURE /104 min To Life is French director Jean-Jacques Zilbermann’s polished follow-up feature film to his documentary Irene and Her Sisters. Zilbermann relates the story of three young Jewish women who were deported to Auschwitz and finally reconnect with each other fifteen years later, during a warm summer in Berck plage.
Secrets of War NETHERLANDS / 2014 / FEATURE / 95 MIN In 1943, two young best friends in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands find their bond put to the supreme test in this bittersweet ode to innocence lost.
Lessons of Survival: Conversations with Simon Wiesenthal BELGIUM / 2014 / DOCUMENTARY / 57 MIN This documentary depicts a series of intimate and friendly conversations with legendary Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal, who shares his insights into the psychology, philosophy and sociology of the Holocaust. Finnish director Inna Rogatchi will be in attendance 11-17 March
Radical Evil GERMANY, AUSTRIA / 2014 / DOCUMENTARY / 92 MIN Oscar-winning director Stefan Ruzowitzky (The Counterfeiters) directs Radical Evil, a documentary asking why ordinary people become mass murderers
Joachim Prinz: I Shall Not Be Silent USA / 2014 / DOCUMENTARY / 50 MIN The film traces the life of Joachim Prinz, an outspoken rabbi who lived through the Nazi regime to become a significant American civil rights activist. My Mother and Other Catastrophes – A live play reading AUSTRALIA / 2015 / PLAY READING / 80 min A darkly comic story of four generations of Melbourne Jewish women, the matriarch of whom - Gitl Silverstein - is 116 years old, a survivor and dominating scold, undiminished by suffering and hopeless dysfunctional progeny. Directed by AFI award winning filmmaker Rivka Hartman. *Melbourne Only
Weapons of the spirit: New 25th Anniversary Edition USA, France/1985/2015/ DOCUMENTARY/ 90 min During World War II, in and around one village in Nazi-occupied France, 5,000 Jews were sheltered by 5,000 Christians. This story of a huge collaborative effort to save innocent lives is inspiring and uplifting, celebrating the goodness of the human spirit in the darkest of times.
A Blind Hero - The Love of Otto Weidt Germany / 2014 / FEATURE/ 90 min This film tells of the “unsung Schindler” Otto Weidt, a factory owner who hid his mostly Jewish and blind employees from the Nazis. A fervent anti-Nazist, Weidt used his cunning to save dozens of Jewish souls and protect the life of his Jewish love.
Sounds from the Fog GERMANY / 2013 / DOCUMENTARY / 94 MIN Part detective story, part historical enquiry, Sounds From The Fog is about a filmmaker who discovers that his 90 year-old uncle, a German entertainer was imprisoned in the Nazi camps for 8 years because he was gay.
Brundibar Revisited GERMANY, CZECH REPUBLIC / 2014 / DOCUMENTARY / 90 MIN The members of a Berlin youth theatre group are confronted by history when they recreate an opera first performed in Theresienstadt. Taken on a trip back in time, the young Berliners question their attitudes towards their country’s troubled past.
HOLOCAUST FILM SERIES will screen from 12 to 25 March at: MELBOURNE: Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick SYDNEY:Event Cinemas Bondi TICKETS ON SALE FROM 12 FEBRUARY 2015 Visit the official website at:http://www.jiff.com.au/hfs
Forbidden Films (Germany) Trailer:
ALLIANCE FRANCIASE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015 - THREE HEARTS website 3 COEURS RATE: 7/10
This movie was featured at the media opening night for AFFFF in Melbourne with full house and so many yummy snacks and delicious beverages... Our opinions were almost opposite: first thing Alex said - the movie plot is primitive and very ordinary considering the love triangle story behind it; he even said it was almost boring and the last 2/3ds of the film he wanted to go to sleep: a younger sister falls in love with the womanizer and their first date does not occur as he simply does not turn up on time missing the date by two hours... The latter frustrates and pushes the young woman who was already in relationship ready to get married to unwanted trip from France to States. Our womanizer with perhaps good intentions trying to follow his heart meets the older sister and they start a romance also breaking her relationship. The faith though brings our wind-headed hero and the younger sister together of course at the ... (what do you think? of course!) her sister's wedding... The shock is unmissable but the relationship between three are out of balance and only drama can save the situation... and it happens... On the contrary I liked the story line although it is a very banal situation it is portrayed quite nicely in the movie. I am adding to this an absolutely undoubtfully brilliant performance by the mother - Catherine Deneuve who always plays with such passion even if her part is episodic - you can not take your eyes off her facial so always deep and meaningful facial expressions - she is amazing! Benoît Poelvoorde plays the main hero, the womanizer. He is targeting vulnerable women almost sniffing their "weaknesses": be that emotional or other types of insecurities. He is a hunter and it brings him almost physical pleasure - it is the emotion that he gets from his main work as a tax payers' auditor too: punishing one and forgiving and helping the others. He is a vampire and his job suits him right. He is a natural destroyer of women's personal lives including his own life too...he is created not for growing the relationship but for taking them apart... but there is one organ in your body that can never lie when it "hears" untruthful stories - it is your heart! It fails you when you need it the most. Benoit's performance is also shining through - it is almost even that this character is way too small for him and it does not give him much room for his talent... but even this character he plays with a great success! Charlotte Gainsbourg - playing the younger sister is so charming as she is always - no matter what she plays - it is always a total triumph! Chiara Mastroianni - I see this actress first time and she is spectacular too! I quite liked the movie.... well... as to Alex - we are all entitled to our own opinions, don't we? So it was 6 for Alex and 8 for me which gave it 7 stars.
PHOTOS FROM AFFFF 2015 MEDIA OPENING NIGHT
WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY RATE: 6.5/10
It is a very light and enjoyable comedy to watch for the whole family. Best quote: "The truth is, every human being on this planet is ridiculous in their own way. So we shouldn't judge, we shouldn't fight, because in the end... in the end, none of it matters. None of the stuff." Although the movie is quite good there are some shallow moments that did not really work: with the jokes especially. Simply the audience did not laugh at some moments where supposedly they had to. Happy ending also remains uplifting but a bit unbelievable for the whole movie as well as the arguments the couple with three kids always have: kids seemed a bit too good an way very happy for a "dysfunctional family" If the purpose of the movie was for everyone to feel good after that it was reached perfectly. The kids' performance is outstanding (especially the younger one - Jess - she is amazingly charming!) Sometime the kids' performance is much better than their parents'. At one moment of the film the sudden revelation, a sudden thought almost like a butterfly visits you: "in the children's world there is no death, there are heroes, there is truth, but death is something that they almost do not fell if you see it from adults perspective - as if they know that this is only temporarily, as if they know it is not real and it is almost like a game.... The movie has good blend of jokes and tragic events happening when funny does seem painful at moments and when drama turns into a light witticism. Adding to that would be - incredible stories of vikings and spectacular landscapes. Sensational work of all actors, director and the whole crew! Best credits though go to the ostriches that appear at the most unexpected moments with the long necks and rounded eggs... If you are looking to entertain your whole family this summer - this is the movie to watch laugh quote and discuss!
WILD RATE: 9.5/10
“Power Living in the earth-deposits of our history
Today a backhoe divulged out of a crumbling flank of earth one bottle amber perfect a hundred-year-old cure for fever or melancholy a tonic for living on this earth in the winters of this climate.
Today I was reading about Marie Curie: she must have known she suffered from radiation sickness her body bombarded for years by the element she had purified It seems she denied to the end the source of the cataracts on her eyes the cracked and suppurating skin of her finger-ends till she could no longer hold a test-tube or a pencil
She died a famous woman denying her wounds denying her wounds came from the same source as her power. ” ― Adrienne Rich, The Dream of a Common Language
It is so easy to write about a light and insignificant movie. It is a lot harder to write about the movie that disturbed you so much, that is complex and that is so multi-dimensional it is almost like the universe on its own. I did not know where to start with and what string to pull to show the movie's beauty and its complexity and its balance at the same time.. so Alex's help was arranged....
The two ways portrayed in this movie so beautifully: the two ways of travelling - the fork on the road and the inner way. Both of them are inter-dependent and connected.
There are always certain key points in your life, that either show or change your life direction. There are certain events that you find "key events" in your life. There are certain signs you meet on your road that remind you of the past; they might change your view of your past: they can make you past shaped in a different, positive way: something that annoyed you in the past may become a key , the most significant part of your past. They can be songs that you heard at a certain time of your life, they might be associations (horses for example that can bring some vivid memories alive). It is almost like Universe is trying to tell you something with signs giving you clues changing and shaping you to the person you are now: But his can happen if you leave your door open and you are ready for this.
Cheryl: What if I forgave myself? I thought. What if I forgave myself even though I'd done something I shouldn't have? What if I was a liar and a cheat and there was no excuse for what I'd done other than because it was what I wanted and needed to do? What if I was sorry, but if I could go back in time I wouldn't do anything differently than I had done? What if I'd actually wanted to fuck every one of those men? What if heroin taught me something? What if yes was the right answer instead of no? What if what made me do all those things everyone thought I shouldn't have done was what also had got me here? What if I was never redeemed? What if I already was?
There is always more to life than the eye sees, there will always be more of you, yourself to discover. There is more to your first impression about certain situations on your way: something frightening may turn into a warm and welcoming hug or a phrase pronounced that can change your way of thinking and as a result: your life.
Frank: "You ever think about quitting?" Cheryl Strayed: "Only once about ever two minutes or so." Frank: "Hell, I've quit a bunch of stuff. I quit jobs, quit marriages." Cheryl Strayed: "Do you regret any of them?" Frank: "I didn't have a choice. There's never been a time where there's been a fork in my road."
The movie is so well balanced: there is a drama that is well blended with comedy (feels like life itself) and the jokes are very good tasteful.
"I do not want to be on the cover of your magazine as "hobo of the month"
It is so moving to see the main character developed so gracefully from the start to the end of the movie.the three months of her travelling of more than 1000 miles on the PCT track. It is like the thirty years of her get passed in these days. She turns into almost another person during the trip. Note how the main character get scared of a small caterpillar on her first days of the trip and how at the end of the trip she sleeps without the tent - just in a sleeping bag and she has dozens of frogs jumping on and around her.
The movie reminded us of Tracks with Mia Wasikowska with only one difference: if you do not have your own demons someone else's demons will find you...
The Wild movie is so deep and beautiful I would sign my name under each line of the script! Well done the crew, the original author of the book (based on true events) and the splendid performance of a highly talented actress...
'71 media preview - eOne ANZ RATE: 8/10
My grandmother told me that when her husband being only 23 years old in 1942 was serving in WWII front as a doctor, she asked him: "...you are Jewish, but you defend Russia. How should I pray for you? ... and what God do you, yourself pray when you are in the middle of the battle?" My grandfather replied: "...darling, we pray to all Gods in the world when there are bombs exploding above our heads; we pray for this war to finish and for us to see our families again"
From many stories I heard that was the one I remembered the most.
Most of the wars are the wars of religions; although every soldier inside his heart I bet prays to all Gods to stay alive and to be back with their families. Is it what they defend at the end? their families? or do they fight for someone who gives them orders, sends them to stupid wars, to death and who betrays them the same day?
The pictures are so realistic you can feel blood on your teeth, you can feel pain in your stomach; the director's work is amazing, the actors are outstanding, the camera work is fascinating, the film message is powerful and it applies to any war situation in the world.
It is a real gem to watch and to think on...
WATER DIVINER tickets - kind courtesy of eOne Australian New Zealand
review by Julie Dargan
I went to the movies with my son and we absolutely loved the film.
The Water Diviner is humorous but also portrays the First World War in all its realism. This is of particular importance for my son who is An Xbox addict and I wonder at the amount of guns and shooting they are exposed to but not taking into account what it all means. In this movie my son was able to connect to real people and then see these real people die.
There were many tender moments in the film. A real tear jerker, which both my son and I shed a few tears.
I love the way Natasha is able to source so many wonderful diverse movies and raffle them out at all her monthly meetings. My son and I have found some common ground when we go to the movies together. He is approaching 14 years and we all know finding common ground can be difficult.