raven22-2 Reviews

Death Mills (1945)

Very disturbing

[10/10 · 6 April 2008]

I had to watch some German propaganda movies for film school. They were films like Jud Suss, Der Ewige Jude and the famous Triumph of the Will. Death Mills was included on the DVD of Jud Suss. I saw it was directed by Billy Wilders, so i couldn't hesitate to look what it was about. But maybe i shouldn't have... it is the most disturbing documentary i have ever seen (so far) in my life. It was originally made for the German people to show the horrific events in the camps. We witness everything. From storage rooms filled with sacks of hair, big boxes with golden teeth, glasses, toys and other personal belongings. We witness the gas and torture chambers, 'nursing' rooms and the places where people slept. This is mixed up with big piles of death people. Spread along the many camps. (we see them all) Some still with horrible, just horrible expressions on their faces. Of course there were also some survivors. The only thing they could show is a very very traumatized look.

Above is what i saw in the documentary. And i must say i still feel like **** Let's hope none of this will ever happen in Europe again. And i hope the rest of the world will follow that advice. Avoid at all cost when you have a weak stomach. But props to Billy Wilder for showing this to the world.

Informativni razgovori (2007)

Good idea, but bad outcome

[5/10 · 25 March 2008]

I saw this film on IDFA. It was programmed together with a Serbian movie.('Journey of the Red Fridge' which i recommend very much) The director(s) of Interrogation were supposed to come, but didn't show up at the premiere.. the organization announced this at the beginning of the film. I wondered why.... But i knew after the film had ended.

Everything in this film seems to have some sort of anti-Serbian goal. The Bosnian people who have been asked question are in my eyes pushed to say bad things about the Serbians. The goal of the film is nice: to talk about memories and feelings which have been pushed away, but i didn't like how they worked this into a film. I am not a supporter of either Bosnians or Serbians, because bad things have happened at both sides. Instead, i am a strong supporter of peace. That's why i really would have liked to see a different setup of this film. For example: question both Bosnians and Serbians.... in the end put them all together in one room and then let them both talk about the difficulties..... it will result into some heated discussions, but that is what we need to see.

Other than that the camera work was also pretty bad. It didn't match with the overall feeling and story of the movie. And it switched between static camera angles and shaking camera angles too much.

5/10 Better luck next time...

Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006)

This movie rocks

[7/10 · 16 March 2008]

I had seen two Troma movies before. Citizen Toxie 1 and 4. I wasn't really impressed, but it was fun to see the gorefest. Last week i have seen Poultrygeist which absolutely kicked some major ass. I literally couldn't stop laughing and at one point i had to run out of the room, because my stomach was hurting a lot. It becomes really really trashy after 1hr.. and the last quarter of the movie is total garbage.. but, it was worth the time. I have watched it with some friends though, so that might have helped a lot.

During the first 30mins i thought. This ain't worse than any film like Scary movie. It could easily be released as mainstream teenage movie.. and earn some big bucks. The last part of the movie totally ruins that option, but thats Troma for you. Kudos to Lloyd, i had a really nice time watching this.

Valley of Angels (2008)

Well done

[11 December 2007]

I saw this movie last week. George Katt is very good. He plays a very convincing role and somehow he reminds me a bit of Edward Norton. I hope i will see more of him in the future. As for the movie, nicely done for a debuting director. I think the cut scenes of LA were 'repeated' a bit too much. I understand why the director showcased those, but an alternation of scenes from LA would have been better. It became too repetitive after a while. As a film noir the ending couldn't have been avoided. However, it was too dramatized and too Hollywood-ish (or whatever you want to call it) for me. You could see the movie was on a low budget. Some scenes are just shot in daylight or very minor set lightning, but for me it added more realism. The hand-camera jobs are totally my style, so thumbs up for that. To finish, i liked it. The story kept me watching and i didn't want to turn it off. Danny Trejo does his usual job and his rudeness thrilled me. The bad guys are cool and i have written down the artists who did the music, because it was very good.

This movie will be released in Dutchland on DVD soon. So grab it when you see it somewhere.

7/10

The Invisible (2007)

Starts off good, but fails tremendously

[4/10 · 23 April 2007]

I saw this film at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival. They managed to get this as a 'surprise' film. Afterwards i wondered how much money BVH gave them to show this. Or maybe it was a free present. The movie starts alright, a bit Hollywood-ish but not that bad. However, after the sequence where the main person dies it starts to go downhill... Way too predictable, way too sentimental, Justin Chatwin who played a good role in The Chumscrubber fails horrible as Nick, the main character. At first i didn't even realize it was him. He was so not convincible. Callum Keith Rennie, who plays a detective, is also an incredible bad cast.

So whats the best part of the film? I really can't remember, but the most exciting part was the end sequence. Not the scene itself, but the public who started laughing and swearing all over the place. Probably because it kept dragging on while everyone knew what was going to happen.

I haven't seen the original Swedish version, but maybe i should one day. Avoid this at all cost. I wouldn't even recommend to rent this. Yes it is really that bad. Standard Hollywood concept to the bone without any surprises.

The Mark of Cain (2007)

Very good effort

[7/10 · 2 February 2007]

This movie had its World Premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Unfortunately it didn't have any subtitles, so the British-English dialog was sometimes very hard to understand.

The movie follows a group of British soldiers in Iraq showing their sometimes forced humiliation against Iraqi soldiers, their psychological problems, the cover ups in the British army and the outcome during a trial.

The movie is obviously low budget, but the outcome is very well. The first quarter of the film starts powerful, then it skips to TV drama style for a while, (i didn't really like that) but the ending is again very powerful.

7.5/10. I wonder if this movie is still going to be aired on television or if they decide to release this is in cinema. It is certainly a lot better than the standard blockbuster films we see....

Go West (2005)

Impressive

[8/10 · 17 January 2007]

Before i saw the movie i read some comments about it... stating it's condemned by several groups of people in Bosnia. I totally understand why, without spoiling anything, the overall message of the movie is shocking. Not only it gives a statement for the gay people in Bosnia, but also one for the whole population.

This movie is not for a broader range of people. In fact.. you will need to respect the way it is told in order to like it. But if you do, then it's genius......

And look for some nice metaphors which are a honor to Sergio Leone.

This movie is available on DVD in Bosnia and other Balkan countries, so if you are in that region you know you can find it.

The Taste of Tea (2004)

Utterly boring

[5/10 · 24 October 2006]

I saw this movie in film class about a month ago. It's one of the few movies i really wanted to walk away from, because of it's terrible slowness. You are really hoping for something to happen, but nope. No story, no anything. The nice cinematographic images keep going on, but those can't pleasure me for over 2 hours. After one hour i was really really frustrated. (i give props to the director for that) It was so frustrating that even the intended funny scenes, weren't funny anymore.

If you are really interested in Japanese cinema or need to do some research or something, watch this. Else, avoid at all cost and spend your time on something useful. This movie is only valuable for a small selection of movie gurus.

Black Book (2006)

The best dutch production in 20-30 years

[8/10 · 14 September 2006]

I have been eagerly waiting to see 'Zwartboek' the past months. Finally it premiered in Holland today and i immediately rushed to cinema to be one of the first to see it. Beforehand i didn't watch any trailer nor read any review so i went in completely not knowing what to expect.

The movie starts a bit messy. Not knowing what it wants and where it wants to go. But as soon as things are set the roller-coaster ride begins. Carice and Sebastian are simply outstanding. Together they really carry the movie. The story however is predictable at times, but the awesome production quality (for dutch standards) and fast paced action really make up for it.

The overall message (which i will not give away) is something to think about. See the movie and judge for yourself.

I have heard this will be sent in for the Oscars. As much as i would want Paul to win i don't think it will happen. There will be other movies with a story less predictable and more surprising. However, my heart would want him to win this and walk out with a big figurative finger pointed at all them critics.

Zwartboek is in my opinion the best dutch production in 20-30 years, maybe even the best dutch movie since Soldier of Orange. It doesn't disappoint, it doesn't bore and it will give you a ride which you won't forget. It is also the breakthrough of Carice van Houten. Rave reviews from Venice compare her to Scarlett Johansson, but even better. Future will tell...

For now, go see this! And for Paul: please stay in Holland and make dutch cinema proud again.