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meanrat1
Reviews
Calvaire (2004)
Standard, eccentric, sick
If you would ask me to give a short description of 'Calvaire' by Fabrice du Welz, I am forced to give you a plain description of a plain and dull horror movie. The car of a young man name Mark Stevens breaks down deep into the forest. Luckily he finds a hostel to spend the night, so he can start repairing his car tomorrow at daylight. But the owner of the hostel doesn't seem to be as guestfree as he appeared to be...
But as this movie develops it appears that this is not your everyday horrorflick. The nightmare Mark Stevens awaits is far worse than anyone would expect. Torture and humiliation await him in a form that will turn your stomach 3 times around. And not only because of what you see and what is happening, but mostly because the characters are so convincingly developed.
So don't get misled of all those short filmdescriptions. It may sound like a standard description, but ends as one of the most sick films I have ever seen. It makes you wonder what must be the reason people like to watch this kind of films. Maybe it's not just because of the frightening parts, but most of all, the ending. Again, an ending not like an everyday horror, but one that will make you think a few days after seeing 'Calvaire'.
The Believer (2001)
Overestimated
The first thing I thought after seeing this movie was "How is this possible that 'The Believer' actually won a price at the Sundance Filmfestival????"
It's not that it's all bad, but it's not a movie I would call good. First, there are dozens of little errors. Especially in the beginning the editing is bad. Two times you get the feeling "where am I?" after a very quick cut to a scene somewhere else with the same characters. You get disoriented by it.
Another error, when Danny vomits on the street, his girlfriend (who is actually not yet really his girlfriend) comes after him and french kisses him!! Man, that's gross! You just don't do that!
The main character Danny, doesn't convince me either. Why did he become a skinhead? Okay, there's this explanation of banishment when he was a child, but I just don't see how you can choose for being a skinhead after that. And doesn't it seems slightly odd that although Danny has a huge collection of jewish items, knows hebrew by heart and doesn't want anyone to get close to the tora, and nobody seems to think, "well, maybe he's jewish???"
Last but not least, there's the acting. Especially the flash-backs are very bad acted. The young Danny-boy tries to much and thinks he's as good as Haley Joel Osment. Furthermore, the older Danny tries a bit too hard to look like Edward Norton in American History X. I have to say, some of his looks sometimes work very well, but alas, most of the time they're just rip-offs.
No, it really astonishes me that this movie won a prize. Well, it's just one prize, but because of that, I think less about the Sundance Filmfestival. A grand jury should know better than to give this movie a prize.
Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998)
Oh come on!!
If you are fooled by this movie, you haven't seen good movies yet. I have to admit it wasn't the worst acting I have ever seen, but it certainly came near. All acting is overdone and the CONSTANT sniffing of Thomas will irritate you certainly at the end of the movie. Every tenth of a second you hear a sniff that comes from a dry and clean nose (not a nose that is full with tears).
Furthermore the whole script just looks like an America's Funniest Homevideo where ordinary people are trying to pull off a joke. A pretty funny one, because when the aliens start to walk into view you won't hold back your laughter! And when the photo's of the supposed missing family are shown, it's a hilarious ending!
But because they wanted to be serious...(haha)...they failed miserably!
Sophiiiie! (2002)
Shocking ride!
It begins very funny. When Sophie enters a café full of heavy filthy stinking men she toys with one of them. Sophie is very wit and you can see she had fun, but laugh will make place for fear, for Sophie doesn't know she goes too far and gets herself into trouble.
When she gets deeper and deeper into trouble the movie gets harder and harder until it's slaps you in the face. The great thing about this movie is although Sophie keeps doing so many stupid things the director and/or the actress playing Sophie are doing such a great job that at the end of the film you still have sympathy for the girl! No matter what! Maybe that's because everyone can identify themselves with Sophie in one way or another, and it's mainly responsible for the slap in your face...
Hukkle (2002)
Lyrical Drama
Unique! This film doesn't describe itself easily, but above all it's a very lyrical film underlined with a beautiful dramatic story about the life on the country somewhere in Hungary. All seems to go very peacefully, but somewhere underneath the skin it's like the animals in the film want to say that there is definately something going on!
The way you will find out about what is going on will leave you speechless for some time, wanting to see the movie again to possibly find hidden clues and/or messages you've failed to see the first time. This may be the best film that'll be released this year...
Wendigo (2001)
Deal with it
Well, this film had some strong elements in it, but overall I just can not be 100% satisfied. Just because this film is just one of the million monster-films. But it was fun to watch, though. The specialities of this film kept in the mood. During the whole movie it is just nog clear if this (stupid) monsterstory is real and all in the boys mind. But still it would bee a better movie if the answer wasn't given at the end of the film. Luckily the answer did not lead to a monster-slashing film where suddenly SOMEONE gets an idea about how to kill the monster. It's just an answer and that's that...and we (the watchers) have to deal with it.
Freedom (2000)
Freedom to the viewer
This is such a special movie! And so many reasons to name WHY it's such a special movie. First because in all of the filmdescriptions I have read it says that it's about drugscouriers fleeing to the desert of Marocco. But that's not fully true!
This brings me to the second and most astonishing reason of why this movie is so special. Although the people in this film are far from free, this movie is only about Freedom! Freedom in interpretation: the viewer is almost totally free in deciding what this movie is about, what the characters think, want, do and where they are! This is done by removing almost every single text there's to say. The movie is silent, the people only look at each other with a glaze SO emotional, but without words!
So when you see this movie, be sure your mind is clear so you can fill in all the emotions that the characters feel...you can fill in what they're thinking...and make your own story...
A movie where you are REALLY part of!
Julien Donkey-Boy (1999)
Frustrations
Some people say Julien is schizophrenic. Some say he's autistic. I say it doesn't matter what handicap he has. It's a portrait about an eccentric family with many frustrations. The mother is dead and father is left alone. He can not handle his offspring; one of his sons is a handicap, the other makes a fool out of himself by trying to wrestle (because he's forced by his father) and the daughter plays too much harp. And then the father himself has too much frustrations of himself.
It's so intensely written and acted and the camerawork and colors are fantastic. You can really analyze the characters and there's so much to tell about all of them that you just really can let yourself go. Wonderful done. A masterpiece!!! Just like Gummo.