leburger Reviews

Trapped (I) (2012)

Underrated

[8/10 · 29 January 2013]

Usually IMDb scores are more or less spot-on. Really generic pieces never break 5 or 6, blockbusters are up there at 7-9, total rubbish gets down voted rather quickly, and so on. There are instances, though, when the score is completely off. This is one of them.

This movie has several strong points, some of which have already pointed out in the other reviews.

The photography and camera work are remarkable and professional-- beautiful colours and tones, scenic forest shots, etc. The acting is organic and down to earth, the two young protagonists feel like real people, and you can easily connect with them. As for the plot, it's a mystery--we know just as much about what is happening as the characters, and that isn't much, to be fair. Instead of a clear narrative, we're given symbols (enchanted garden, princess, etc) and a lot is left for the viewers' imagination. Everything about the forest is shrouded in a lore of secrecy and mystery. Instead of the spoon feeding that is so common to movies these days, I find it nice when the audience can use their own imagination from time to time. As for the general tone of the movie, it was well-balanced--it was grim when needed, but it also had many lighthearted moments due to the synergy between the protagonists.

I don't know, but I guess people had problems with the storytelling in this movie. I'd advise you to forget what you have seen before and take the movie as it is. There's much to it, really.

Gone (I) (2012)

Not a film of the year, but..

[10/10 · 17 June 2012]

I do not think the current rating (5.7) does this film any justice, furthermore, why so many negative reviews?

Seyfried does a wonderful job (her character comes out very natural, and she is definitely of an 'empowered female type'); the film is aesthetically pleasing, an eye-candy, if you will, especially if you watch it in HD (beautiful tonality and photography), and the tempo is neither too slow or fast, and the plot is pretty thrilling and suspenseful. Obviously, you could argue that this cat vs. mouse theme the movie deals with is not something too novel, but then again, you cannot continuously invent new topics which will remain fresh forever, especially when it comes to the thriller-genre. In fact, the character Seyfried played destroyed all clichés associated with the 'victim' role by demonstrating that a kidnap victim does not always have to be weak, troubled and demure kind, and that he/she can actually take control of things.

So please, cut the film some slack, and take another look at the films that are being shown in the cinemas--a countless number of bad comedies, dull action films and remakes of the European cinema (how original)--compared to which Gone is actually pretty nice entertainment. This film is not going to win any Oscars, but it is far from bad, in fact, I'd say this is one of the best recent thrillers with amazing acting from Seyfried.

The Ledge (2011)

Uninventive and mediocre

[1/10 · 17 February 2012]

The first problem is that the film tried to be thought provoking, but it didn't succeed in this, seeing as the whole Christianity vs atheism argument used in this movie was pretty uninventive and uneducated - basically, "I'm a raging atheist because some religious people are bad guys and blow up things". Go figure. Found it also pretty strange why the lead got that carried away in all those arguments about religion, I mean none of the discussions with the husband were even closely heated which brings me to another point - acting.

Some people were saying that Liv Tyler seemed rather distant and apathetic in this movie. I don't necessarily object, but her characters have that feel in more movies than one which isn't necessarily a bad thing and it works for some actresses. The main problem was the lead - Charlie Hunnam who - judging on this movie alone, just can't act - considering what he had been through and that he was about to commit suicide, he seemed to be doing pretty OK at the rooftop, telling his story like he was having a beer with a friend. Convincing? If you want a true portrait of someone in a tight situation and able to convey that emotion as well, try Gosling as Henry Letham in Stay. When it comes to drama genre, you somehow need to be able to associate with the people in the movie on some sort of a level, but in this case, it was really hard to do so.

All in all, the movie was trying to be artistic and emotional, but it never felt convincing because of the booming mediocrity of each aspect.

The Hunters (2011)

Different, but definitely not bad

[8/10 · 30 December 2011]

A lot of negative reviews, oh well.. If people were expecting another run-on-the-mill horror to freak out to on a Saturday night, then this film obviously granted a disappointment, as it has a somewhat different angle, and the film is actually more of a suspense/mystery than a horror, really.

On a positive note, the filming locations were absolutely fabulous, the cinematography was of high quality in every respect, and even though the English spoken in the film was regarded as 'bulky' by some reviewers, you cannot really dismiss the fact that it is a French/Belgian movie. I, for one, thought all the way it was set in Canada (in Quebec), in that case, the language inconsistencies of the film would have been pretty well explained :-).

You could say that the acting was somewhat peculiar, but "peculiar" does not necessarily mean "bad". After all, French/Belgians films sometimes have a different take on acting. Think of, for example, 'Calvaire', that contains as much strange humour as 'The Hunters', you just need to be able to notice it :-).

All in all, 'The Hunters' is a rather strange experience meant not for everyone; on the other hand, as mentioned in other reviews, it offers you very nice photography, absolutely fabulous filming locations (the fort!), some sociological commentaries, and a rather decent cast, the tempo of the film is pretty slow, but in this case, it only compliments the piece.

Bad Family (2010)

such a sweet drama

[9/10 · 9 September 2011]

I was afraid 'Paha Perhe' would turn out to be another one of those formulaic Kaurismäki-ish low key Finnish dramas spiced with an awkward sense of dark humour. Fortunately, the impression was deceiving.

The film is about a father (Mikael) and son (Daniel) whose daily routine is greatly disturbed after 'the lost daughter' (Tilda), who they haven't heard of in years, crashes into their lives after her mother passes away. As the story has it, this affects the father and son in an entirely different way..

Albeit a somewhat slow start, the film was beautifully filmed, it had nice and charismatic young actors; the theme was pretty thought- provoking and controversial, and there was also a healthy amount of suspense and drama. Regardless, this is still a rather light and uplifting movie.

Even though the film has no direct connections to the Icelandic "Nói Albínói", I found those two films to be somewhat similar--in addition to the general dreamy vibe, youthful actors, and witty humour, there's the motive of breaking off from the present moment by discovering something 'along the way'. When Noi (the young protagonist in "Nói Albínói") finds the means to try to escape the dull and mundane reality of the wintry Reykjavik in a girl working in the local gas station, then for Daniel, her sister Tilda--a free-spirited girl who is not afraid to challenge the safe middle class way of life--provides the means for Daniel to reevaluate his place in life. But, just like Noi, Daniel soon finds himself at odds both with his father and society. Yet, this movie doesn't judge anyone, neither does it lecture us, it doesn't pretend to be a moral vanguard--it simply tells a story of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary situations.

Even though it is definitely a small-time film which will not reach a wider audience, it is definitely worth having a go at should you have the chance!

Kvinden der drømte om en mand (2010)

Irrationality reigns supreme

[1/10 · 8 October 2010]

While i have to admit that the setting this film has is memorable in a way (a few atmospheric shots of Paris and Prague), and there's Nyqvist, who always manages all his roles in such an authentic manner, but in the end, those are more or less the only upsides this film has.

When you watch art-house cinema, you shouldn't expect too much from the characters. In most cases the portraits are supposed to be rather life- like, and in reality some personality types just are more difficult to comprehend, which means not just everyone connects to them on a personal level, and we can only assume the background of a certain behaviour.

But in this case, in "Kvinden der drømte om en mand", the main antagonists are just way beyond any reason. What was the female lead thinking? Was she somewhat disturbed? Why did she act the way she did? We're given no reasons nor explanations whatsoever. Was her marriage really that hopeless? No, it really didn't seem this way to me. Although the marriage scenes were a bit bland, we're given no hints of anything extraordinarily ominous or repressing. Neither manages the film to convince us it happened all because of some sort of a "love from the first sight." This seems just so unplausible. So what we are left with but a portrayal of irrational and random behaviour, absolutely horrid female lead role, and a meaningless ending? Not too much, i'm afraid!

If you are inclined to watch a cold danish movie on a topic similar to this, just do yourself a favour and get "Prag" instead. Terrific actors and a lot more convincing storyline. Actually, i consider "Prag" one of the best danish movies of all time.