madsbs Reviews

Un lac (2008)

A Film of a Winter's Mind - Perhaps

[6/10 · 18 April 2009]

This picture is thought provoking, but not too interesting when first you shake off the tense mood of the movie created by an extensive use of hand-held, non-focus/focus combinations, close-ups, intense darkness, cold whiteness and sparse saturation.

It sets out in an frozen, timeless universe of the deep mountains, an isolated place, the only connection to a possible outside world (never exposed) being a lake.

Form the beginning the movie makes itself prone to numerous sorts of psychoanalytical interpretation frames (and, indeed, to possibilities for over-interpretation): the fight of the super-ego against ego and id, liberation of the id, completion of the sexual self, mother complexes, father complexes, and so forth.

This psychological is not necessarily a strength, but possibly a necessity for the plot to work. We are talking topics like quasi-incestuous relations, possible schizophrenia, the fear of the unknown ways of adult life and so on.

Altogether, this movie is overloaded with symbolic possibilities, but the cinematic work is excellently simplistic. For those who have the patience to take in the seriously slow pace of the film, it is well worth the inevitable annoyance.

The Tracey Fragments (2007)

Mystery made by video art

[7/10 · 19 April 2008]

This is an odd film. I like it, and still I can't think of it as a masterpiece.

At first glance, the picture may seem annoyingly pretentious due to its very original picture composition.

And in some ways it IS annoying. But the amazing thing is: it works pretty well. It really does compose the delicate, mysterious tune, which is the nerve of this fine movie.

Some people might think that The Tracey Fragments would benefit from a more explicit epic narrative. But the artistic mist is also the movie's strength, and I certainly did enjoy this mystery. So, give it a chance even if you're a bit amazed by all the flashing frames. It's actually possible to follow the storyline, even if the intentional non-clarity of this flick is not mastered completely.

Having said all that: Ellen Page as Tracey is a very very good choice!

The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006)

Not much shaking

[6/10 · 3 March 2007]

When I decided to go and watch this I expected a Ken Loach movie. Unfortunately these 130+ minutes didn't bring about any surprises - I would've loved to leave the chair with a sense that Loach is not always just Loach.

To summarize the reasons for this: This is not the greatest of stories. The characters and their interrelations are not allowed to fully develop, and therefore it doesn't really get to your heart. At least it didn't get to mine.

Anyway this shot deserves its six points for its tight composition and fine acting.

Well. Maybe I just expected a great deal more from a Palm D'Or winner.

Labyrinth of Passion (1982)

Funny indeed

[7/10 · 29 January 2006]

Very typical Almodóvar of the time and, in its own way, no less funny than many of his later works. And why is that? There is nothing to be provoked or shocked about, and I guess any such effect is more coincidental than intentional. No, the great humor stems from an underlying, almost surreal, absurdity that is woven into the scenery: The characters' nearly complete lack of taboo. It's the same kind of 'comic suspense' you find in his later works, though you'll find it in a more rough version here. He's building up for masterpieces to come, but is not yet there.

The sole reviewer who commented on this movie before I did, claimed that it had to be a "very select" group of people who'd find this movie hilarious. I do.

Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

Hmmm... try again!

[3/10 · 25 August 2004]

Sorry to all you Michael Moore fans, among whom I once used to find myself too. But I have to give up this time: this movie is NOT a masterpiece, and unlike some of Moores previous films, this one in particular becomes an embarrassing victim of its own arguments. It presents a lot of peculiar facts. Of course all those small pieces of reality should make one wonder what kind of guy the US president actually is. But instead of just showing the facts, Moore cannot refrain from jumping to conclusions - moreover, he becomes a simple manipulator just as the man he's chasing. Moore is not a bad film maker, not at all, this piece is technically candidating for an A+. But to let the very plot make an over-stating fool of itself, which ALMOST happens towards the ending of Bowling for Colombine, is a mistake, which Morre this time he carries out to the bitter end. What a shame.

The Magic Gloves (2003)

Not quite there...

[4/10 · 9 April 2004]

Attempting to set up a South American mixture of Kaurismäki and Almodovar, Martín Rejtman does not succeed.

Though I certainly laughed my way through some quite humorous moments, especially during the first half hour, the script is neither enough 'on the edge' to be absurd, nor is it subtle enough to deliver a story of much interest.

Having said that, most characters are very well casted, and the acting is brilliant at times.

Don't avoid this film for any price, but don't expect even half a masterpiece.

Twentynine Palms (2003)

Strange and long - and yet again

[6/10 · 31 March 2004]

Well. Never before have I seen a movie in which the camera, in total view, follows a car driving back and forth in a desert landscape, from it enters the picture in the bottom, until it finally - after minutes of zigzagging - fades out somewhere in the background.

There ARE a lot of very very long scenes, often with no speech, in this movie. I'm aware that the director is trying to make a certain atmosphere, but the thing is: absolutely NOTHING happens before the very end of the movie.

There is a slight hint of hidden deadpan humor throughout the film, but fhe only really funny part is when the two main characters want to cross the street in a small town. A sole driver wheeling down the road shouts "get the hell out of my road" or something like that. That left me laughing loudly.

Not a masterpiece, not even aspiring, but certainly a rare experience!

Love Actually (2003)

Subtle and funny, but no cigar...

[6/10 · 16 January 2004]

A patchwork of narratives about the love that is found in every corner of the world is, indeed, a beautiful plot. Thus, the outset of this movie is simple but meaningful, and the result is for the better part fine, humorous, and even touching at times.

A few of the stories are devised in an exceptionally ingenious manner. One example: The whole movie is set in Britain, where an ordinary young man babbles away about going to the States, because there, he claims, he'll find girls who are willing to sleep with him. His friend is very skeptical about the likelihood of success in this project. The young man buys a ticket anyway, and the outcome of that trip is skillfully staged, though it should not be revealed here.

There are a few major flaws in the movie too: (1) You just don't choose Hugh Grant for the role as PM of Great Britain - unless, of course, your POINT is to avoid credible characters; (2) The fine understanding of everyday situations is generally ruined towards the end of the movie, when all the subtle portraits of everyday 'love situations' is hastily merged into a paradisiac mass hysteria.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

Bizarre! And that's why it works

[8/10 · 16 January 2004]

I have to say that I find this movie extremely hilarious. At least it works for me, though I have no difficulty understanding people who back off and shake their heads. Indeed, there is no true point to anything in this story. It's just weird, vulgar, bizarre, meaningless crap and we like it!

Swimming Pool (2003)

Makes you think - but doesn't overdo it!

[9/10 · 2 January 2004]

This movie presents a fantastic style of narration. Though the plot is not as complex as it might seem at first glance (and especially after first considering the speculative ending), it has a dreaming and mysterious touch to it, making it an artistic experience. Even if the film indeed does take the time it needs to create this impression, a level of fine, at times even harsh, humor, makes it relatively easy to digest as it runs, though it does demands some brain activity to consider whether we're witnessing a fantasy tale of an author's mind or a realistic drama. And a final comment: After the film, everybody in the theater talked about how to interpret the ending. I can't help to like such situations...

The Score (2001)

No surprises

[4/10 · 25 January 2002]

At first glance, this movie looks promising. Even if the cast, especially de Niro, does an excellent job, it remains - a "job". The plot is a usual, unsophisticated remake of thousands of forerunners including a handful of MUCH better ones (the best example perhaps being Mission Impossible - the first one).

Even so, the Score certainly managed to keep me awake in that unintelligible, but highly professional Hollywood way. Altogether, it doesn't exactly SUCK. But somehow I don't think it's worth seeing twice.