I went into this with high expectations. I heard great things about this film from a person who sees a lot of cinema and reviews films for a living so when she was in love with it I decided to check it out.
It's one of those rare films that is both artsy, different, unique and..fascinating, thrilling and actually relateable. It has a plot, that moves, for a most part, with a pleasant speed. It grabs your attention, there is something everyone can relate to or at least - recognize and say:"Yes, I know other people like that."
It's interesting, multi-layered and has a lot going on in it. The characters are just likeable enough that you can feel a bit sorry for them here and there. I wouldn't call it a comedy. It is classified as one, but it certainly isn't the sort of humour that makes you laugh. It's dark, satirical and certainly very clever and intelligent, but I didn't feel in any way uplifted or humoured leaving the cinema. It is obviously a great movie. Anyone can tell you that, it was awarded highly at Cannes after all, but better than that (for me personally), it was one that I actually liked.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Friday, August 18, 2017
Kedi
I got into the mood for a bit of an indie...ish - film (not a Hollywood blockbuster) for this, picked a day when I felt I was in the right mood for it. I read a review - it was great and the film was shown not only in the art-film cinemas here, but in the more mainstream ones too, so surely, it must be great. It's about cats, after all. I love cats. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently - a lot of things. It was - boring. Plain and simple. At the start I was excited, by the end I was squirming in my seat wondering when would it end. One could say that Hollywood movies with their flashy fast-paced images has spoiled me. But no - I'm not sure that's the issue here. The film had no narrative. No one storyline to tie together the small bits, the stories of all the cats. If there was one it was so loose, it didn't do it's job. It felt like a small TV-series with each bit of the film being an episode about a certain cat(s) and a human connected to the cat(s). It got old, repetitive and there were a lot of issues I would have liked a closer look at, a more in-depth discussion of, but that were just briefly mentioned. All and all, not my favorite kind of film.
Well, apparently - a lot of things. It was - boring. Plain and simple. At the start I was excited, by the end I was squirming in my seat wondering when would it end. One could say that Hollywood movies with their flashy fast-paced images has spoiled me. But no - I'm not sure that's the issue here. The film had no narrative. No one storyline to tie together the small bits, the stories of all the cats. If there was one it was so loose, it didn't do it's job. It felt like a small TV-series with each bit of the film being an episode about a certain cat(s) and a human connected to the cat(s). It got old, repetitive and there were a lot of issues I would have liked a closer look at, a more in-depth discussion of, but that were just briefly mentioned. All and all, not my favorite kind of film.
Monday, August 14, 2017
Spider-man: homecoming
Sometimes it's just nice to go and see a nice entertaining movie. It's nice when you go and expect something good, mildly amusing and nice and you get just that. Not a masterpiece, but something that you can just enjoy and forgive some small flaws to, because it's entertaining. And that is what that movie is.
It was almost a little shocking that this wasn't an origin story. I was mildly disoriented by the fact for a moment, but really it was great and refreshing. I liked the story. Liked that everything was already established, because really - we all know how Peter Parker becomes Spiderman by now. I felt that Peter was pretty in character too.
It was almost a little shocking that this wasn't an origin story. I was mildly disoriented by the fact for a moment, but really it was great and refreshing. I liked the story. Liked that everything was already established, because really - we all know how Peter Parker becomes Spiderman by now. I felt that Peter was pretty in character too.
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Baywatch
It's a funny film. Not by any means a masterpiece, not even a great movie, but an enjoyable and entertaining one. It's just fun. The humor is a bit grotesque and not the kind you want to admit you laugh at, but you laugh at it anyways.
It's so over the top, so silly and it knows it. It doesn't take itself seriously at all and that's what makes it an honest fun movie. The small cameos from Pamela Anderson & David Hasselhoff feel a bit forced, but they are appreciated and I liked the fact that while the main character is called Mitch, David Hasselfoff's character is also called Mitch and not something else. Although I don't particularly get why or how they have the same name, but it wasn't particularly bothersome.
It's so over the top, so silly and it knows it. It doesn't take itself seriously at all and that's what makes it an honest fun movie. The small cameos from Pamela Anderson & David Hasselhoff feel a bit forced, but they are appreciated and I liked the fact that while the main character is called Mitch, David Hasselfoff's character is also called Mitch and not something else. Although I don't particularly get why or how they have the same name, but it wasn't particularly bothersome.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Wonder Woman
I honestly didn't have much expectations in terms that I had no idea what this film would be about - other than Wonder Woman. I had heard great things about it through, about how empowering it felt for women and great.
It was pretty good. The plot was consistent, there was one. It was pretty logical. For most part. I don't really understand why Diana couldn't return to the amazons once she left, but maybe I should have read the comics. There were visual inconsistencies - a mug being in once place in one shot and in other in other. But these were small mistakes that I didn't even notice, and wouldn't have noticed, if they weren't pointed out to me.
I think the actors were pretty good. Our leading actress fit into her role well and I liked the amazons. They didn't look too young, nor did they look old. They looked kind of perfectly ageless if that makes sense, somewhere between old and young.
I don't think this film was that groundbreaking in other ways. Sure, Diana seems like a very headstrong and independent woman - for the early 20th century where she is thrown into. I think she is all that by the modern standards too, but I wish they would have tried to show her as an independent strong woman in the 21st century, where all other characters aren't comically and pointedly not feminists. It feels like a bit of a cheat.
The ending was cliche'd and perhaps the most boring part of the film. The moral was so worn-out that there were holes through it. It wasn't wrong, just over-exploited. All in all there was little that felt new. Besides a female heroine.
It was pretty good. The plot was consistent, there was one. It was pretty logical. For most part. I don't really understand why Diana couldn't return to the amazons once she left, but maybe I should have read the comics. There were visual inconsistencies - a mug being in once place in one shot and in other in other. But these were small mistakes that I didn't even notice, and wouldn't have noticed, if they weren't pointed out to me.
I think the actors were pretty good. Our leading actress fit into her role well and I liked the amazons. They didn't look too young, nor did they look old. They looked kind of perfectly ageless if that makes sense, somewhere between old and young.
I don't think this film was that groundbreaking in other ways. Sure, Diana seems like a very headstrong and independent woman - for the early 20th century where she is thrown into. I think she is all that by the modern standards too, but I wish they would have tried to show her as an independent strong woman in the 21st century, where all other characters aren't comically and pointedly not feminists. It feels like a bit of a cheat.
The ending was cliche'd and perhaps the most boring part of the film. The moral was so worn-out that there were holes through it. It wasn't wrong, just over-exploited. All in all there was little that felt new. Besides a female heroine.
Monday, May 1, 2017
JAFF Post: Гофманиада
I saw this film as part of the Japanese Anime and Lifestyle Festival in Tallinn.
This is one of those films I am in such an awe of that I kind of don't feel fit to criticize it. It's a piece of art and I think it really doesn't deserve any bad things to be said about it. The animation is beautiful, the varying styles that are put together are interesting. It's an unfinished film still as it is of now, but it felt coherent and whole enough that you could get the story if you bothered to pay attention.
The way the real world melts to one with the artist's fantasies and hallucinations is brilliantly done and captivating.
Even the documentary bit that was shown afterwards was interesting and I am usually not a big fan of those "Behind the scenes" bits unless I'm a huge fan of whatever is shown. Sometimes even then. But this was fast-paced and not overly self-indulgent. It was still apparent that the whole thing was done with a lot of love, patience and passion.
The only real bit of criticism I have is that I don't think it ties in with the Festival. It's a Russian animation and it's a bit out of place at a Japanese Anime Film Festival. Regardless, if they had this exclusive chance to show it I see why they would want to and it was an amazing animation plus the the chance to meet the director and the producer is always appreciated.
This is one of those films I am in such an awe of that I kind of don't feel fit to criticize it. It's a piece of art and I think it really doesn't deserve any bad things to be said about it. The animation is beautiful, the varying styles that are put together are interesting. It's an unfinished film still as it is of now, but it felt coherent and whole enough that you could get the story if you bothered to pay attention.
The way the real world melts to one with the artist's fantasies and hallucinations is brilliantly done and captivating.
Even the documentary bit that was shown afterwards was interesting and I am usually not a big fan of those "Behind the scenes" bits unless I'm a huge fan of whatever is shown. Sometimes even then. But this was fast-paced and not overly self-indulgent. It was still apparent that the whole thing was done with a lot of love, patience and passion.
The only real bit of criticism I have is that I don't think it ties in with the Festival. It's a Russian animation and it's a bit out of place at a Japanese Anime Film Festival. Regardless, if they had this exclusive chance to show it I see why they would want to and it was an amazing animation plus the the chance to meet the director and the producer is always appreciated.
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Ghost in The Shell (The live-action film)
I actually prepared for this movie. I watched the first anime to have a good feel of the original material. I wanted to see it before I saw this. I had low expectations, because I had heard many bad things about it, but once again, I don't think it was as bad as people make it out to be.
It has a totally different feel than the anime. It's less subtle, less deep. It demands less of the viewer than the original. Watching the anime I constantly felt like I had to think, fill in the gaps. Hollywood movies don't do that. They spell everything out for you. But I actually liked some of the scenes they added. The bit where Batou lost his eyes. It made me want to read the manga and find out of they took the scene from there or came up with it themselves.
I also liked the addition of Major's mom. It added a bit of that Hollywood-ish Happy End to the mix, but it wasn't sickeningly sweet. It worked. It was well made. There weren't too many words, it wasn't overly spelled out and that's why it worked.
Scarlet isn't a bad actor. She does her best. Does she capture the essence of the character? Does it feel like the same character? Not to me...I just think this role needs a Japanese woman.
I liked the Japanese guy there was. The one who actually spoke Japanese, but it kind of made it even more clear the film was kind of racist.
The city they were in was weird too. In the original it feels like they are in Japan. In the movie it's some weird futuristic city and one doesn't really get if they are Japan or America or in some new weird country.
I liked that they didn't make it very Matrix-like. The original was older than Matrix, but it still reminds people of it and had the film used that esthetic too much it would have looked like a knock-off.
I liked that a lot of scenes were visually incredibly similar to the anime. The plot was different, but not terrible. Not as good, sure, but you can't make a greater thing out of something that was already brilliant.
In conclusion: Watch the original, but if you're interested give this movie a try too.
It has a totally different feel than the anime. It's less subtle, less deep. It demands less of the viewer than the original. Watching the anime I constantly felt like I had to think, fill in the gaps. Hollywood movies don't do that. They spell everything out for you. But I actually liked some of the scenes they added. The bit where Batou lost his eyes. It made me want to read the manga and find out of they took the scene from there or came up with it themselves.
I also liked the addition of Major's mom. It added a bit of that Hollywood-ish Happy End to the mix, but it wasn't sickeningly sweet. It worked. It was well made. There weren't too many words, it wasn't overly spelled out and that's why it worked.
Scarlet isn't a bad actor. She does her best. Does she capture the essence of the character? Does it feel like the same character? Not to me...I just think this role needs a Japanese woman.
I liked the Japanese guy there was. The one who actually spoke Japanese, but it kind of made it even more clear the film was kind of racist.
The city they were in was weird too. In the original it feels like they are in Japan. In the movie it's some weird futuristic city and one doesn't really get if they are Japan or America or in some new weird country.
I liked that they didn't make it very Matrix-like. The original was older than Matrix, but it still reminds people of it and had the film used that esthetic too much it would have looked like a knock-off.
I liked that a lot of scenes were visually incredibly similar to the anime. The plot was different, but not terrible. Not as good, sure, but you can't make a greater thing out of something that was already brilliant.
In conclusion: Watch the original, but if you're interested give this movie a try too.
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