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Reviews
Six Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Quite good. It could have been much better
This is a decent historical drama. It is a captivating story, despite the obvious embellishment of historical facts. It has good direction and cinematography, and a good characterization of individuals consumed by their social passions, or naively pursuing impossible political harmonies. The experienced actors in the cast are masterful. In contrast, one of the writers, Eddy Izzard, is a comedian by profession and, although he has had some acting experience, apparently could not resist the temptation of also acting in this movie, and in a leading role. This takes away the necessary intensity and undermines the emotional subtleties that should have been displayed in many scenes. He is expressionless in crucial moments, a lack of emotion that comes, I guess, from the imperviousness required in his standup shows in British settings, whereas the jokes and audience reactions exclusively rely on a stream of verbal abilities, while the comedian remains stone-faced. Or perhaps the reluctance to engage better actors was due to budget constraints. In any event, Judy Bench and Carla Juri shine in their powerful roles, as do James D'Arcy and Jim Broadbent in their short appearances.
Overall, the film is good, engaging and worthwhile watching.
Napszállta (2018)
For good eyes only
This movie requires a pretty good knowledge and understanding of the cinematic language. This is because the content is presented in multiple forms and layers, and the narrative is not based on verbal communications. Indeed, silence or sparse verbalizations are common, and from the very beginning they give us a strong cue on how to watch and understand the film. It transports us to the pre-WWI historic period in a masterful and almost imperceptible progression, whereas the uncertainty, oppression, disconnection and dangers of those lives and times are not presented as a story, but rather as an emotional load intended to be experienced by the audience. The film greatly succeeds in this goal, and I believe that those uncomfortable feelings are the ones that some reviewers are conveying when they express negative views or disappointment. Such judgements reveal that the movie has certainly triggered the intended emotions about the historic period presented, and also that perhaps this film is not for everybody, and definitely not for viewers that expect a story rather than a cinematic experience. A very good movie, but for good eyes only.
La niebla y la doncella (2017)
Excellent. Primarily for native Spanish speakers.
A good, steadily-evolving plot, based on the homonymous book about a complex, multilayered murder investigation. Great direction, superb characters and acting, wonderful settings. Do not expect caffeinated action, explosions, or lots of blood. To fully enjoy this movie, you need to be capable of following the dialogs in the native language (including not just the Spanish, but also the particular idioms of the Canary Islands). This is because the film relies on skillful interviews and revealing observations as means of solving a cold case, rather than resorting to forensic techniques and alike.
Låt den rätte komma in (2008)
A great non-vampire movie
If watched superficially, this movie will disappoint the vampire-movie fans and may look just like a weird story with some magical explanations, or even a movie about teenage love. The mistake would be conceptualizing the original book and this great movie as vampire stories, when in reality they are great human stories. The main subjects in this movie are identity-search and anger in teenagers, and the vampire/person character is obviously more a symbol of this struggle than anything else. The world of distancing and alienation between teenagers and adults is masterfully presented, and the adult world of inadequacy and inability to communicate with young people is a major theme throughout. Similarly, the boy's and girl's constant search for acceptance and their struggle with anger are also very well depicted in this Swedish version, like the boy's conversations with the mirror, the shocking picture of the girl's genitals, or the interactions between these two characters and their parents. One crucial sentence explains almost all: "I kill because I need to; you would kill if you could", says the girl to the boy. Both characters have reached a point in their lives where violence is the only way of expressing themselves, and leaving the adult world towards the unknown is the only acceptable escape. A vampire by necessity; and an angry boy in self-defense mode. Warning!: the 2010 English remake ("Let me in") reduces the story to interactions among teenagers and fails to acceptably address any intergenerational issues, so it misses all major points of this original movie, and is just a superficial love story without much value. Instead, the Swedish book and this movie are not-to-be-missed masterpieces.
Let Me In (2010)
It completely misses the point
While appearing on the surface to be very similar to its Swedish original, this imitation omits all the elements that have made the Swedish movie such a great success. And this is the reason why some people are led to believe that this is a romantic movie, or even a weird story with some magical explanations. The book and the original movie are not vampire stories. They are about identity and anger in teenagers, and the vampire/person character is more a symbol of this struggle for identity than anything else. The world of distancing and alienation between teenagers and adults is masterfully presented in the Swedish movie, and barely addressed in this version. Indeed, the Swedish movie repeatedly presents the adult world of inadequacy and inability to communicate with young people as a major theme, and this is not the case at all in this English version. Similarly, the boy's and girl's constant search for acceptance and their struggle with anger are also very well depicted in the Swedish version, and completely ignored here. If there is any doubt that the story is about identity searching and struggle with anger, look at some scenes in the Swedish movie, like the boy's conversations with the mirror, the shocking picture of the girl's genitals, or the interactions between these two characters and their parents. One crucial sentence in the original movie explains almost all, and is also missing in this version: "I kill because I need to; you would kill if you could", says the girl to the boy. Both characters have reached a point in their lives where violence is the only way of expressing themselves, and leaving the adult world towards the unknown is the only acceptable escape. A vampire by necessity; and a violent boy in self-defense mode. Because this English version reduces the story to interactions among teenagers and fails to acceptably address the intergenerational issues, it misses the major points of the original Swedish book and movie, and is just a superficial story without much value.
Luftslottet som sprängdes (2009)
Moral ambivalence and a poor plot
This third installment basically follows Larsson's writings, as they did the previous two. As with the second installment, the plot does not come near the quality of the first movie. With some success, this third movie also attempts to minimize some of the most outrageous behaviors described in the books. For these and other reasons, it is a mistake, in my opinion, to watch the movies without reading the books first. Some gross mistakes persist. For example, the second movie leaves you with some doubts about the type of injuries suffered by Lisbeth during the final fight at the barn; unfortunately, this third installment affirms the mistakes written on the book. There are multiple injuries, including a bullet to the parietal lobe, another to the right shoulder, and a third one to the hip. All these injuries cause great physical limitations to Lisbeth, as clearly shown after her admission to the hospital. However, she was previously able to crawl out of a grave after being buried alive, handle an ax and strike with great force, and even shoot several times with both hands. Not much medical knowledge or research by Larsson here. In reference to minimizing events described in the books, Lisbeth's trip to the Caribbean is mentioned in literally four words when she talks of her absence for one year, and there is no mention of her murdering somebody just because she suspected he was an abuser. In all three movies, and particularly this one, there are obvious attempts at minimizing Lisbeth's darkest side, especially the crimes that cannot be easily explained by emotional reactivity to perceived injuries. There is also the illusion that movies have tried to sell for decades: the power of investigative reporting ("State of play" is another example). With this story Larsson is clearly attempting to emphasize this perception. In reality, as we know, reporters are silenced in sensitive matters, and unfortunately even killed many times. The movie eventually becomes too Swedish and loses the universal touch, as many people have pointed out. People get away with crimes, and this is justified based on their suffering. Lisbeth's trial is a good example of this moral ambivalence, whereas evidence unrelated to the charges at hand is accepted in this Court, while it would have been dismissed in most other places. Throughout the books and the movies, no one calls the Police even when there is serious evidence of crimes. Worse yet, some crimes described are just presented as normal and even somewhat expected in society, like hacking and using information from people's computers, stealing millions of dollars from bank accounts, etc. (the Wikileads people are certainly happy with these portraits, I guess!). Larsson's writings and these movies clearly end up advocating the moral justification of criminal behavior, on the premise that people have the right to commit crimes because they have been injured in the past, or because someone else has committed crimes first. At the end, everything falls into the narcissistic wishes of the conspiracy preachers: the idea that we are very important as individuals, to the point that a whole country and its apparatus would devote great energy and resources to do us harm. While the plots in this and the previous movie do not even approach the quality of the first installment, the cinematography is certainly much better, partially because the action takes place primarily in Stockholm. Although this beautiful city is quite difficult to photograph, the director manages to produce some very impressive views. Acting and direction are also masterful.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
Too bad the plot is weak!
To start, it would be nice to see on this web page some consistency of information about this movie. One section lists some filming locations in Massachusetts, USA; while another section says that those locations were in Germany. I do seem to recognize the Sagamore Bridge (not the Bourne) in Cape Cod, and perhaps some areas of Wellfleet. The ferries and terminals are definitely not from that area. In any event, the director was in prison during production time, and this certainly had an effect on the movie. Overall, cinematography and acting are great, and these are enough reasons to watch and enjoy the film. Unfortunately, we are dealing with a story that is weak and not very credible. The book inspiring the movie is too unrealistic and full of contradictions. For example: the main character specifically professes not to be an investigative reporter, but he risks his life many times while pursuing an investigation. The most ridiculous piece is at the very end, when he decides to reveal the results of his findings to the person conspiring to kill him, and in the middle of a public function where he is completely outnumbered by her allies. Overall, plots based on conspiracy theories tend to be weak; especially as the story advances (the "Girl" trilogy based on Stieg Larsson's novels comes to mind). The fact that Polanski was being persecuted may have prompted him to choose a book dealing with conspiracy and secrecy, but this is not a good story.
The Limits of Control (2009)
Superb symbolic content, but knowledge of movie language required
To properly understand this movie and truly enjoy its value and nuances, it is important to have a more-than-basic familiarity with the cinematic language. This language is far richer and more expressive than the spoken language that American movies are based on, and has primarily been the domain of European filmmakers for many decades. With this and other movies (Caché comes to mind), it would be a mistake to attempt an understanding based on spoken language or enunciated stories alone. The beauty of this movie will surely be miss that way.
Limits has a simple but somewhat original plot: a lone assassin (Isaach de Bankolé) is given secret clues on different steps to take in order to reach his target and carry out his mission; however, it is up to him to discover which clues are authentic and which ones are false. This double security system clearly emphasizes the importance and secrecy of the mission. The actual plot is about the Loner's constant discerning, looking at everything and determining is this could be a reliable clue or not.
There are several levels of clues in this movie. They serve the role of either confirming or discarding possible leads, and they are intermingled with corresponding levels of symbols.
The first level is pretty obvious, and it is built into the instructions that the Loner receives during the movie. For example: "Go to the café, wait three days, look for the violin". However, the Loner does not know which café and which violin (he actually looks at paintings of violins in the museum, for possible clues there, etc.). Likewise, somebody carrying a musical instrument may not necessarily be an authentic contact. So there is the password ("Usted no habla español, ¿verdad?"), but more importantly a statement hidden in the philosophical speeches by the different contacts, and confirming to the Loner that he is indeed on the right track. For example: John Hurt talks of bohemians when seeing a group of teenagers; the Asian contact (Youki Kudoh) talks of molecules; the Mexican (Gael Garcia Bernal) talks of hallucinations, etc. All these elements will be mentioned by the American (Bill Murray) in the fortified compound, confirming that the Loner has reached his target. "La vida no vale nada" says John Hurt at the end of his interaction with the Loner, and this same sentence will be written on the back of the pick up truck that will take him on the last leg of his journey. The Loner reveals himself and offers a matchbox only after the interlocutor has produced some connecting symbol.
Beyond these spoken clues, there is a second level with just images. Examples: In the room where the Loner meets the American, there is the same kind of lamp that the Loner had seen in the room where he stayed in Seville. Pieces of art done with white cloth are strikingly similar at the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid and in the last room in Almería. A diamond given to the Nude (Paz de la Huerta) will be found in a cup of espresso, and the transparent raincoat she had previously worn will be seen now hanging from a wall, clearly indicating that "they" had gotten to her.
The third level deals with actions. The Loner has been told that the Nude is a criss-cross, and when she appears nude he understand this as a possibility of being distracted from his mission. The Mexican wants to take the guitar before it is actually given to him, and this could be a sign of a wrong contact, so it triggers the Loner's alarm. Cell phone calls and guns are unexpected actions, and they are pushed away.
The final level has to do with symbols and leaps from reality, based on the initial instructions that the Loner received: "Use your imagination". The Blonde (Tilda Swinton) taps into this very nicely, as it does the Mexican when he talks of reflections. The mission gets accomplished using imagination too. They are just too many symbols to list them all.
In order to fully enjoy the movie, it is clearly important to be open to the different levels of this non-spoken language, not usually found in American movies. And to let yourself be taken by this artistic language like you have hopefully done with other movies, rather than searching by spoken statements or linear explanations.
Malèna (2000)
Beyond sexuality and individual struggles...
A small town's reactions about powerful, uncontrollable forces that challenge its survival and stability during WWII are channeled towards an out-of-towner, a beautiful woman (Monica Bellucci) perceived as a threat to identity and unity and whom the town progressively denigrates and eventually outcasts in a violent way. A pubescent boy's (Giuseppe Sulfaro) own process towards maturity, driven also by relentless, powerful forces, parallels the town's process into adulthood and self-assurance. As everybody completes the cycle of anger, rejection and eventual acceptance, the woman is ready to return to the town, in turn ready to receive her, while the boy is prepared to give up his fantasy life and move into adulthood. Sexuality is no more than a symbol here, serving as a catalyst for people's emotions and propelling the three main characters (town, woman and boy)through the social maturation process. This is a great movie, due to the ability to transcend individual stories and skillfully relate to the emotions and behaviors of an entire community in distress.